What I Want
by purefoysgirl
Summary: Barnaby has a very unexpected response to getting hurt, and Kotetsu is too worried by it to leave things alone. Warnings: Mentions of child abuse, graphic man love, dubious consent, implied rape (in later chapters), and all my usual guy love warnings. THE REST IS PUBLISHED ON MY WORDPRESS (see profile). I no longer update here.
1. Clumsy

Kotetsu was clumsy.

This was not an affectation on his part, just the simple truth. For whatever reason, when he wasn't focused on his actions, he often bumbled about and tripped over things. He couldn't help it, honestly - sometimes he just got so sidetracked by the things around him that he failed to notice _other_ things around him until they wound up under his feet tripping him. It wasn't like it bothered him, really. It never was much of a problem, seeing as it stopped the second he got down to business, but for whatever reason, Kotetsu's klutziness triggered something he would never in a million years have even _thought_ of...

"Hurry and go shower," Antonio urged, his winged brows drawing down in a frown, shooing Kotetsu towards the locker room of the Hero gym. "Why are you lagging?"

"Er, I was just going to wait for Bunny," Kotetsu said, giving Antonio a wincing grin while absently rubbing the back of his head. "He's been a little mad at me lately."

"What's new?" Antonio asked, and laughed, glancing around as the chatter of the others faded. It was the end of their day and hopefully no emergencies would interrupt the little get-together they all had planned. "I'll go ahead, just meet us at the bar. And bring the brat, too, if you can manage."

"He'll be there," Kotetsu told him, brimming with false confidence. "Bunny loves get togethers!"

Antonio snorted a little in disdain and headed out, waving back before the door closed behind him.

"Hehe..." Kotetsu slowly dropped his wide grin, his mouth falling into a somber frown as he glanced back at the weight room where Barnaby was ferociously benchpressing despite Kotetsu having scolded him about doing so without a spotter. The younger man's cheeks were spotted with hectic color and his brow was furrowed with a mixture of concentration and irritation. Lately, it seemed like Bunny was always quietly fuming in Kotetsu's direction, but for the life of him the older man couldn't fathom _why_.

Kotetsu crossed the broad room, heading in Bunny's general direction, calling ahead, "Hey, Bunny - "

"My name is Barnaby," the man tightly said without missing a beat.

"Hehe, yeah," Kotetsu agreed, because that was the easiest route with Bunny. He idly thought that maybe Bunny was lifting too much, considering that his legs were rising a little with each push, and that was no good. He opened his mouth to tell him so, so intent on the potential danger that he failed to see the dumbbell that Karina had left out. On his meandering course, he caught it right on the toe of his left shoe and went flailing towards Barnaby with a startled shout.

Luckily, he caught himself on the bench with his knee.

_Un_luckily, his knee had landed right between Bunny's spread legs.

With quite a bit of force.

And quite a bit of painful pressure.

And Kotetsu was pretty sure that he was going to be killed.

"B...Bunny?"

The weight crashed back into the cradle with a resounding clank as Kotetsu scrambled back, stammering apologies, wincing at how badly that must've hurt and cursing himself for doing yet another thing to both wound and piss off his partner.

"Er...Bunny?" he anxiously searched Barnaby's face, alarmed by how pale he was and by the blank look in his green eyes. The young man just lay there, unblinking and still, his arms still up, his hands still on the weight. "Bunny? You okay?"

He should've been curling up in pain, Kotetsu was sure. He'd _definitely_ done a number on Bunny's poor downstairs, after all. If it had been the other way around, Kotetsu knew he would be on the floor in the fetal position right now, probably crying.

Of course, if it had been the other way around, Bunny would never have been so careless or clumsy...

"Bunny? Did you...faint?" he asked, edging closer, still half-bent in sympathy.

Those blank green eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling.

His heart thundering in sudden panic, Kotetsu worriedly passed his palm twice over Bunny's eyes, asking, "Bunny? _Barnaby_, are you okay?!"

"Give me what I want."

"Eh?"

Kotetsu was no slouch when it came to reflexes, but even he couldn't avoid the hand Bunny shot out to grab his wrist. He hoped it was just the surprise, and that Bunny hadn't activated his powers out of pure fury.

"Give me what I want."

"Bunny?" he squeaked, because that voice didn't match. Bunny had a calm, well-modulated voice, very prim and (when Kotetsu happened to be annoyed with him) sometimes kind of priggish. _This_ voice, however, was deeper and sharper, hard in a way that was kind of frightening. It was so alien that Kotetsu had to actually look down into Bunny's smooth, blank face to see his lips move in order to prove to himself that Bunny had spoken.

"Er...wh...well, that depends on - " Kotetsu yelped when Bunny sat up suddenly, his grip like steel and tightening even more. "What you want..."

He trailed off, wondering if he'd actually managed to make Bunny so angry that the young man would retaliate. It didn't seem to matter that it was accidental or unintentional. Barnaby seemed to believe that he could control it somehow, that if he just tried hard enough, he could stop being...well, stop being _Kotetsu_.

"Hey, Bunny," he said, his usual easygoing manner quickly fleeing. Bunny's continued strangeness worried him, and his grip was starting to actually hurt. "Hey, talk to me. Are you hurt? Do I need to get you to the doctor? _Bunny_!"

Barnaby slowly turned to face him, his eyes still blank but at least _seeing_ him. In that stranger's voice, he said, "_Give me what I want_."

"O...okay...er..."

He was absolutely unprepared for his prim, vain partner to suddenly go for the waistband of his gym shorts.

"_HEY! What the hell are you doing_?!" He broke Bunny's hold in a surge of shocked outrage and took a protective grip on his shorts, scolding, "What's gotten into you?! Wake up!"

"Give me what I want."

It was a little unsettling to hear only that phrase, to see those blank eyes. It was like Bunny was...someone else.

"Bunny, let's get you to the doctor," Kotetsu said, concern overriding his brief irritation. But then, Bunny always could do that to him. For all of his cool confidence, Barnaby was just a lonely, bratty kid, and Kotetsu was too much a father not to respond to that, especially with his own child so far away. He did his own share of forgiving, though Barnaby would no doubt refute that idea. "Come on, you're not yourself. Let's go, okay? I'm sorry I fell on you, that really must've hurt, and now you're sick or something. Come on, I want to make sure I haven't damaged you for life somehow - "

"_Give me what I want_!" It was no longer calm and even, but angry and demanding, and Bunny gained his feet as if he hadn't just been tagged in the balls hard enough to drop him. Kotetsu took an involuntary step backwards, bewildered and worried. Usually their slight height difference didn't bother him, but right now Bunny seemed seven feet tall. An incredibly _angry_, incredibly _strong_ seven feet tall.

"Now, now, Bunny, it's going to be okay!" he said, laughing in his usual careless, embarrassed manner, waving his free hand in front of him because it felt safer than leaving his front open. "Just calm down and let's - "

The same barbell that had thrown him onto Bunny's abused crotch decided to seal his doom - Kotetsu caught it with his heel on the way back and landed on his ass with a shocked yelp.

And the second he landed, he knew it was all over.


	2. Bewildered

Bunny landed in his lap with the lithe grace of a cat, gripping his shirt hard enough to rip the sleeves clean off.

"Bunny!_ What are you doing_?!" Kotetsu hissed, scrambling backwards, losing a shoe in the process, the carpet snagging the waistband of his shorts and dragging them down a little. No matter how he twisted or fought, Barnaby clung to him like a barnacle, riding his movements with that strange, unnatural concentration on his smooth, blank face. "_Stop_, Bunny! What's gotten into you?"

"Give me what I want," Bunny told him, and cupped his face with one hand, the other plunging down Kotetsu's belly to grasp the hem of his shirt.

The touch was unexpectedly gentle, in stark contrast to the crushing grip of those thighs around his hips.

"S...Say, Bunny, wh..." he panted, wearing himself out with his own struggles. "Hey, now! _Hey_!"

He was nearly to the locker room door, whatever that gained him, and he hoped like hell that no one came back because there was no way on earth to explain this.

"Bunny," he tried reasoning again, yelping when the younger man managed to get the upperhand with his shirt and pulled it clean off of him. "Say, Bunny! Why don't we go to the hospital, eh? You'll be so mad when you wake up! You don't want to do anything regrettable!"

Those cat-like, long-lashed green eyes blinked once, languidly, as if the real Bunny was in there somewhere and had heard him. For a second, those pale hands fell still, curled against Kotetsu's sides, tracing idle circles that gave him goosebumps despite himself.

"We'll go to the hospital, yeah?" he pushed, hoping Bunny was hearing him. That familiar, serious face of his was so frighteningly blank, bereft of the personality that gave it a certain kind of flair that Kotetsu had always admired. "Yeah? It's me, Bunny - Old Man, remember? I don't understand what's happened to you, but we'll find a way to fix it, okay?"

Sometimes, just sometimes, Barnaby could cut him to the quick with that face. It wasn't anything the younger man meant to do, it was just a barely-concealed vulnerability, a keen kind of self-imposed isolation that struck a kindred chord in Kotetsu's expansive heart. Secretly, he felt they were very much alike in that respect. After all, he knew better than anyone else among them what it was like to lose the people he loved, what it was like to be alone and pretend that he preferred it that way, to give a facade to the world in order to protect a secret pain. And now this face that had always spoken a thousand hollow lies and hidden a thousand kinds of secret suffering...this face was utterly empty, and it was like a punch in the gut to see.

"Bunny...are you in there?" he asked, reaching up to push Bunny's curly bangs back a little so he could look him straight in the eyes. "Bunny...I'm really _really _sorry that I hit you..."

The touch made the younger man blink slowly again, but instead of hearing Bunny heatedly demand to know what was going on, the stranger just levered off of him enough to grip his shorts and told him, "Give me what I want."

"Damn it!"

He tried wresting control of his waistband away from Bunny, but the other man's grip was unrelenting. Kotetsu planted his shoeless foot in Barnaby's chest and pushed, but he might as well have been trying to move a mountain.

"What the hell?! Did you activate your powers, Bunny?!" he ground out, straining to throw the man off of him. He thought about activating his own, but there was too much a chance of him accidentally doing his partner serious harm that he wasn't willing to risk it.

Unfortunately, Bunny didn't seem to care if he hurt Kotetsu, and that complicated the situation for the older man, who found himself pinned against the locker room door with his shorts and boxers raked down to his thighs despite his best efforts.

"Give me what I want!"

There was a note of panic and distress in that voice now, a thread of Bunny's anguish that momentarily stunned Kotetsu. He hadn't expected such a thing, just as he didn't expect Bunny to slip into his lap and press his warm face into the bend of Kotetsu's neck.

"Bunny, this isn't right for you," he tried, reaching up to stroke Bunny's sweaty curls away from the heated nape of his neck. It was an absolutely unnerving sensation to be so close to another person this way. Circumstances had contrived to deny him physical contact for the better part of a decade. His wife had gotten sick shortly after giving birth to Kaede, and her lingering illness had overshadowed any personal need for the remaining years of their marriage. Two years after her death he'd had a single one-night stand that had gone awkwardly awry thanks to his terrible loneliness and the aching need to be part of someone else, even if just for a night. She'd mistaken his devouring attention for something somewhat more lasting, and had been profoundly upset when he'd refused. The experience had been his last, and had shamed him for both betraying his wife as well as hurting an innocent woman...

But sometimes the body was willing even if the spirit was reluctant, and he was pretty sure that went for both he _and_ Bunny in their current situation. "Bunny, please, you don't want this..."

"Give me what I want," Bunny breathed against his neck, and Kotetsu twitched a little when the statement was followed by the pressure of sharp, sharp teeth on his skin and the smooth heat of Bunny's wet tongue.

He yelped and twisted away, shocked by Bunny's actions as well as his own upsetting response. He turned and braced both hands on Barnaby's shoulders, holding him at a distance and demanding, "Why are you like this so suddenly? Eh? What's..."

He trailed off as he gazed at Bunny's face, transformed now by something that might've been grief or pain. It still wasn't the Bunny he knew, but how could he not want to reach out to him? How could he not want to help him?

In that moment of consideration, of empathy and concern, Bunny lunged at him again, pulling his own shorts and boxer briefs down so that they dangled from one red and black gym shoe.

"Bunny!" His protests grew more frantic as he realized precisely what his partner wanted, and even more frantic when Bunny whipped his shirt off and Kotetsu wasn't entirely disinclined to look. Barnaby was, admittedly, beautifully built as a result of good breeding and a lot of hard hours in the gym.

"_So why are you doing this with an old man?!_" Kotetsu asked in a panicked shout, blushing furiously when the length of that graceful, toned body loomed on all fours above him, preventing bids for escape with cat-like enjoyment.

"Give me..." Bunny breathed, trailing a carefully manicured nail down the ditch of Kotetsu's belly in a tickling, worrisome line. That warm, soft hand cupped him and lightly squeezed, bringing an immediate, teeth-clenching response. "...what I want."

Kotetsu's breath came out in a gasping moan, his pulse jumping in his throat. He was shocked and horrified, not as much by what Bunny was doing, but by his own strong reaction. He'd been lonely for so long, had denied himself for so long...surely _that_ was the only reason?

"Bunny, this isn't right," he gasped, eyelids fluttering a little as Barnaby's skillful fingers started working the head of his swelling cock. He looked at that face, familiar but so strange, and desperately said, "If it isn't really you, Bunny, this isn't right!"

The only response he got was a soft sigh of anticipation as Bunny bent to lave his flushed cock with that warm, wet tongue.


	3. Troubled

Wow, tough crowd! That's okay, I'll keep posting because I'm seeing lots of hits (which I'm assuming is interest of a sort). Thank you, Tales from within for your review, I appreciate the feedback!

* * *

"_Damn it_!"

Kotetsu made an abortive attempt to pull away, knocking his head into the door in the process so hard that he saw spots, or maybe the spots were from the sudden rush of blood to his groin where Bunny's mouth was working so earnestly. Either way, he fell back against the smooth metal with a soft, moaned complaint and shuddered, the muscles of his belly tightening.

Bunny didn't suck so much as get him sloppy wet and hard, and he straightened with a satisfied smile, those blank eyes gazing at Kotetsu as he lay slumped halfway to the floor.

"Give me what I want," the young man breathed again, straddling his hips, his own heavy sex hard and swaying gently with his movements. There was no bashfulness in him, no hesitation - Barnaby leaned over him slightly, fingertips guiding him, and worked Kotetsu's hard body inside of him.

The spots dancing in front of his eyes became stars, and for a second Kotetsu wasn't sure what was going on until he realized he was holding his breath. Holding his breath because he'd forgotten how it felt to be so deep inside of a warm, welcoming body, though Bunny's backside was far tighter than he'd ever had.

His eyes flew wide open and he took a deep, dragging breath, instinctively arching against the downward push of Barnaby's slim, graceful body. It was hard to look at Bunny and _not_ feel excited, seeing him as he was - head tilted back to bare the long line of his throat, chest pushed forward from the arch of his long back, those amazingly strong thighs parted wide and the long length of him jutting at their apex. Every ripple of muscle beneath his pale, rose-tinted skin, every droplet of sweat that ran down the rigid washboard of his belly, every movement that jostled his hard, heavy sex - all of it was too beautiful to deny. Bunny rode him with the ease of long practice, clenching hard around him as if his goal was to make Kotetsu come apart at the seams.

"B...Bunny..." His hands rose of their own accord, sliding up Barnaby's corded thighs to the stark hollows of his hips. His legs parted slightly, pushing his shorts and boxers down further but giving more room for Bunny's round, enviable bottom to make contact. It was hard to concentrate, hard to _think_ \- everything had boiled down to the friction of Bunny's tight body squeezing around him, rapidly building pleasure to the point of pain. "Ah! Bunny! N...Not so fast!"

"Give me what I want," Bunny moaned, working harder, moaning in a way that made Kotetsu curse as fluidly as he was liable to ever do. He arched over Kotetsu, his parted mouth coming down for a kiss that scorched the older man with its intensity. Bunny's tongue plunged into his mouth, his lips sucked and his teeth bit, as if he could devour Kotetsu from the mouth down. Those slender but powerful hands clenched on Kotetsu's face, fingers digging in so hard they'd probably leave marks, but Kotetsu didn't care. He tightened his grip on Bunny's slim hips and sat up slightly, rolling Bunny into the cup of his groin, his reason burning away beneath the heat of the flame his partner had lit in him. Mouths meshed, he put the full measure of this deadly hunger into the strength of his back and Bunny moaned against his lips, clenching around him.

"Ah! Give me what I want!" Bunny gasped, breaking the kiss, throwing his head back as his green eyes fluttered wildly.

Panting harshly, Kotetsu flattened one palm against the small of Bunny's back and gave him everything he had, shredding his shorts and boxers down the seams with the force of his movements.

That beautiful body pulled taut in Kotetsu's hard grip and arched violently, a soft, drawn out moan breaking from Bunny's pink lips.

"Bunny," Kotetsu panted, thrusting harder, falling back to feel the full weight of the younger man's body bear down on him. It gave him a good view of Bunny's shell-pink cock pulsing against his belly, and when the first pearly jet spurted onto Kotetsu's stomach, his whole body clenched into a tight bow of pleasure.

"Give me what I want," Bunny moaned, saying it over and over as he rocked on Kotetsu's pulsing hips. Those hands dug into the ropey muscle of his belly and Bunny's ass tightened around him, slapping down harder and harder as he came. It was so achingly pleasurable that he writhed in the midst of a second unexpected orgasm, gasping in mingled pain and pleasure.

It faded almost as quickly as it had come, leaving him overheated and languid, buried to his balls in his partner's perky ass. Bunny fell still in his lap, satiated and breathless, still half-hard but subsiding. He wasn't asking for anything anymore. Kotetsu wasn't sure if what he wanted was his own orgasm or his partner's, but whatever it may be, the culmination seemed to have made that strange compulsion vanish.

"Bunny...are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he asked, a little anxious that he might've harmed him somehow. He'd never done anything with another guy before, so it wasn't like he knew what was acceptable or not. He'd been pretty rough in the more frantic moments just now... "Bunny?"

Those wide green eyes blinked and Bunny unexpectedly levered himself up and off, stepping into the other leg of his boxer briefs and shorts as if he'd never been having sweaty, amazing, completely bewildering sex on the floor just now.

"Er...are you better, now?" Kotetsu asked, feeling the slightest stirrings of shame at what he'd done to Bunny just now, especially when Bunny wasn't acting like himself. He watched with stunned disbelief as the young man picked up his gym shirt and pulled it on, a motion that was both graceful and alarmingly compelling enough that Kotetsu blushed a little. "Say...are you mad at me, still? Because I hit you in the balls like that..."

Barnaby pushed his glasses up his nose, went over and picked up his gym bag, and headed out without saying a word.

Sitting against the locker room door, nearly naked except for his socks and one shoe, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi stared after his partner long after he'd gone, silently wondering what on earth had happened, secretly rather ashamed of himself, and desperately hoping that Bunny was okay.


	4. Warned

**Thank you for the interest, and especially thanks to those of you who leave me reviews, signed and otherwise. I apologize for the short chapters. I publish on my Wordpress (usually a chapter or two ahead) and have to put manual indents in, so I keep the chapters short there. I know it equals out in the end, but it feels a lot different putting in breaks every paragraph on a few pages rather than eleven, lol! If the story isn't garnering enough interest, I'll probably just stop publishing here and continue at Wordpress instead. But thank you to those who are interested! I really appreciate it! I love Tiger and Bunny but I seemed to have missed the fandom bus, lol!**

* * *

The shower was a good place to think.

It didn't beat the bath, which Kotetsu preferred, but the hot water and solitude allowed him to really process what had just happened and try to put it into some kind of order. _Something_ had changed Barnaby from his usual reserved, cold self into a kind of frightening sex monster, and Kotetsu was pretty sure that the something had been that pop to the balls.

That alone was bizarre enough give him pause. He couldn't imagine how something so painful could inspire such demanding lust, but it was the only thing he could think of that seemed out of place. Barnaby certainly didn't come onto him out of the blue because he'd _wanted _to; his impatience pretty much made _that_ a bygone conclusion. Their day had been a normal course of paperwork and other small issues, so that wasn't it. He hadn't seen Barnaby eat or drink anything prior to hitting the gym that could cause such a bizarre response, so his mind returned to the only thing left.

It was incredibly baffling.

He dropped his head in the spray and let the hot water wash over him, eyes closing as he recalled the way Bunny had just left him like that without even a backwards glance.

'_I hope he's okay...He wasn't himself at all this afternoon_...' Guiltily, he added, '_Because of _me_..._'

No matter how he looked at it, he'd started this bizarre chain of events, but something else nagged at him. Clearly it wasn't normal to have a reaction like that when hit in the tender regions, so why did _Bunny_ react like that?

And how in the hell was he going to be able to face Barnaby tomorrow at work?

He sighed and rinsed off, feeling a little hollow and lost. Thinking back on it, he was deeply ashamed that he'd given in, that he hadn't fought tooth and nail until Bunny had stopped. Just what in the hell was wrong with him, anyway, that he'd do such a thing to his partner? Was this loneliness really just a part of getting older? Was it so unbearable that he'd stooped to taking advantage of Barnaby when he was clearly out of his head?

"You selfish old man," he breathed, stepping out to towel off and dress. He'd gotten rid of his gym clothes, ruined as they were, and made a note in his phone to pack a fresh set for tomorrow. He hesitated a moment, looking at the screen on his phone and seeing the drawn reflection of his own worried face. Deciding to risk it, he scrolled his contacts and called Bunny, anxious to know if the younger man had gotten home okay, though he'd seemed perfectly himself when he'd left.

"_The number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time. Please hang up and try again..._"

"Come on, Bunny," he murmured, trying again but getting the same message. At a loss, he quickly tapped out a text message and sent it, "_Did you get home safely? Don't forget to eat dinner and drink plenty of water, okay_?"

He almost came out of his skin when his phone buzzed in his palm, but it was only Antonio wanting to know where he was.

"Ah, sorry! I just got done showering!" he said, hurriedly grabbing his bag and heading for the door.

"Is he coming with you?"

Kotetsu winced a little, a vivid image of Barnaby rearing over him flooding his mind's eye.

"Er...no, he...He said he had some things to take care of, so he won't be there," he explained. "Maybe next time."

"Well hurry up!" Antonio barked, and he could hear the faint sounds of the others laughing. "The kids have to get home before long."

"Sorry, sorry! I'll be right there," he said, and hurried to his car once Antonio had hung up. Bunny's spot was devoid of the flashy red sports car he drove. Kotetsu worriedly thought he'd been in no good shape to be driving.

But Barnaby would just tell him to mind his own business, so Kotetsu reluctantly decided to do just that.

* * *

He spent a sleepless, uneasy night alternating between pretty wrenching guilt and a growing sense of having been wronged somehow. When that coil of thought cropped up, he crushed it pretty quickly, preferring to be the guilty party in what had happened. He couldn't fathom what had gone wrong, but if he'd started it somehow, then that was that. If Bunny hadn't been in his right mind, then neither one of them had actually consented to it, and that just added another layer of complication.

He headed into work early, hoping to catch Barnaby before Mrs. Norris came in. He really didn't want any curious observers for whatever conversation they were going to have.

Barnaby was already at his desk, flipping through a file as per his usual, looking every bit the snotty prince he seemed.

Kotetsu hesitated a moment at the door, clenching his hands in his hat, uncertain how to approach him. Taking a deep breath, he approached his desk, saying, "Hey, Bunny. Are you okay?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," Barnaby replied, only paying him half his attention. "And my name is Barnaby."

Kotetsu dropped down in his chair, flummoxed.

"Er...Say, Bunny...I was worried about you getting home last night - "

"I saw that you had called. Please restrain yourself from prying into my personal life, Old Man," Barnaby coolly told him, deigning to give him A Look. "The text was also unnecessary. I am perfectly capable of caring for my own health, thank you."

"Yeah, but after what happened yesterday..." Kotetsu said, trailing off because he had the sinking, sick feeling that he wasn't going to like what was coming.

Barnaby's brows rose in inquiry.

"Well...I mean...what happened in the gym - "

"Please stop talking around the subject," Barnaby said, frowning. "Say what you mean, Old Man, or this could take all day. If you mean my migraine, then I assure you that it's perfectly resolved, and I'll remind you again not to pry."

"M...migraine?" Kotetsu squeaked, surprised. "Wait, you had a migraine?"

"Yes, I thought that's why you were pestering me last night," Bunny said, irritated. "Though I had no idea how you knew since you were gone by that time."

Stunned, Kotetsu could only stare at him in the horrified realization that Bunny had _forgotten_ what had happened. Testing him to be sure, he said, "Hey, Bunny. Give me what I want."

He expected flinching or a similar reaction, some kind of response to the only phrase that Bunny had repeated the previous evening.

Instead, Barnaby heaved a soft, put-upon sigh and asked, "Will you leave me alone if I do?"

Kotetsu frowned, his chaotic thoughts trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Well?" Barnaby asked. "What is it, Old Man? What do you want? Another two dollars? I don't have any change this morning."

"Say, Bunny, what do you remember about yesterday in the gym?" Kotetsu softly asked.

"Honestly, what is this fascination with how I spend my time?" Bunny breathed, blowing out a frustrated breath. "Is there some sort of purpose to these questions?"

"Humor me," Kotetsu said, somber.

For all of his airs, Bunny at least indulged him when he was serious, and the young man said, "We all spent a few hours working out like we usually do, and everyone decided to go to some restaurant, so you all left. I started to get a migraine and decided to drive home before it got worse. I took a pain pill and went to bed. Satisfied?"

"_Everyone_?" Kotetsu numbly echoed. "Even _me_?"

"Well, yes, of course," Barnaby said, pushing his glasses up, his own bright green eyes narrowing with growing confusion. "Is everything alright, Old Man? You seem a little surprised."

"No, it's fine," Kotetsu said, reeling with shock. Somehow, some way, Barnaby's memories had rewritten themselves and completely taken Kotetsu out of the equation, altered back to the point where every trace of what he'd done to Bunny last night had been erased.

It was chilling and filled him with an even deeper fear than he'd already felt for Bunny. Memories didn't do that, did they? There should be some small part of his partner that remembered what had happened, but there was no trace of unease about him, no sign that anything _had_ happened.

Like the whole thing had been a bad dream.

_Could_ it be the work of a Next? He couldn't recall them coming into contact with anyone unusual lately, but that might be an answer. But why would some random Next somehow affect Barnaby's memories? What was the point in making him someone else for a little while, and then erasing the whole thing from his...

'_It's happened before_,' he thought, the sinking feeling changing to one that felt dangerously like he'd be sick, and he hadn't had enough breakfast to do it justice. Someone _had_ done this to Barnaby on purpose, and it looked like the purpose was to...take advantage of him like some living, breathing blow-up doll.

"Old Man?" Barnaby asked, his voice sharp with concern. "Are you ill? You're awfully pale."

"Say, Bunny," he said, his voice cracking a little, he was so upset. "How many times do you get those migraines, do you think?"

Barnaby gazed at him for a long moment, assessing him for clues before he finally shrugged and told him, "Twice a month, at the most. Please don't concern yourself with it. I've been through thorough examinations and I'm quite healthy."

"Twice a month," Kotetsu whispered, folding his arms on his desk and lowering his head, quietly horrified and wracking his mind for who on earth was capable of doing such a thing. Sure, Bunny was understandably vain, kind of standoffish, sometimes condescending, and usually rather smarmy, but he was just a _brat_, for Heaven's sake! No one, no matter how despicable, _no one_ deserved to have this kind of thing done to them.

"Old Man? Please do your work properly," Bunny scolded him. "Your desk is for working, not sleeping."

He lifted his head enough to ask, "Do you know what causes them? Your migraines?"

Bunny gave him another considering Look but, surprisingly, answered, "No, they're completely random. Please stop asking me about it. It really isn't any of your business."

"Hehe, right," he said, straining to find his usual placating laugh. He propped his chin on his folded arms, his eyes tracking Barnaby without even meaning to. Knowing that Barnaby didn't remember what had happened between them didn't make it any easier to see him. _Kotetsu_ still remembered, and it was both awkward and appalling to look at Bunny's clean, sculpted profile and remember those same lips covering his own...

"_Old Man_, what are you dazing about?"

Bunny's sharp voice cut through the memory and brought him back to the grim reality of the younger, annoyed man glaring at him.

"Mr. Lloyds has called for you _twice_, I said," Barnaby repeated, scowling. "Were you actually asleep just now?"

"Hehe, uh...yeah, I had a restless night," he said, giving Bunny a wide grin to cover any sign of distress.

"Honestly," Bunny said again, heaving a sigh. "And you harp on _me_ about _my_ health. Well?"

"I'm going, I'm going," Kotetsu assured him, holding both palms out in surrender. "Sorry, Bunny."

"It's _Barnaby_!" the man hissed, and angrily adjusted his glasses yet again before utterly ignoring his partner.

"Yeah..."

The halls were filling with workers on their way to their various tasks, making for a crammed ride up the elevator where Mister Lloyd's office was. Kotetsu usually didn't mind people around him, but today he was feeling a little...fragile and he really kind of wanted to be left alone to think about Bunny's situation.

"Ah, Tiger, good," Lloyds said, glancing up at him when he came in. "Shut the door behind you. We need privacy for this."

"Yes, sir." He did as he was told and came to stand before Lloyd's desk, uncomfortably aware that he was still considered a less than valuable employee.

"Tiger, Mister Saito sent me this," he held up a slim, tiny portable storage clip between his fingers as if Kotetsu would already know what was on it.

And he had the uncomfortable realization that he probably _did_.

"Apparently, the programs that monitor the private areas of the building picked up variations in activity and alerted him last night," Lloyds said, grim. "Do you know the incident that I'm referencing?"

"Y...yes, sir." It was hard to stand in front of that man and say it, but he managed to keep his back straight even if he couldn't meet Lloyds' eyes.

"Saito informs me that there was what appeared to be a sexual assault," the man said, his gaze hardening. "Were you thinking, perhaps, of going to the authorities regarding this?"

_That_ surprised him into meeting the man's frigid gaze. "_No_, sir! Of course n - "

"Good." Short, clipped, and entirely unfriendly, Lloyds continued with, "Barnaby is our star hero and brings in the bulk of profit for Hero TV. I would find it exceedingly unfortunate if I had to let you go due to a conflict of interest."

"Conflict...?"

"I would prefer that you find a way to handle this quietly, Tiger," Lloyds told him. "If even a hint of this got out, it would damage Barnaby's reputation beyond repair. Apollon Media certainly doesn't want that, and if you have any desire to remain a hero by the remotest standards, _you_ don't want that, either."

Kotetsu bristled at the threat, but his concern for Bunny overrode any lingering feelings of having been wronged himself. In a tight, angry voice, he said, "Nothing happened." He snatched the clip out of Lloyd's hand and told him, "I'll take care of this, sir."

"I expect you will," Lloyds told him. "I'll be out the rest of this week for various meetings. I want you to smooth things over with Barnaby before I get back. We can't have this affecting your partnership, do you understand, Tiger?"

"Perfectly, sir," Kotetsu said, and briefly inclined his head before leaving. He made sure to very carefully close the door behind him so that it didn't slam, because he was brimming with indignation at the way Lloyds had just dealt with him. Hushing it up, sweep it under the rug, don't rock the boat, consider yourself warned - what if one of the female staff had found herself in the same awkward position _he_ had last night? He hoped things would go very, very differently...but considering it was Bunny, he rather doubted it.

He didn't immediately go back to their office. Instead, he sidetracked to see Saito, who had apparently seen enough to be alarmed by it.

He found the round little engineer at his computer, fingers flying over the keys. Hesitant to interrupt, Kotetsu finally settled on knocking and calling out, "Mister Saito?"

Saito stopped and turned his chair slightly, his feet paddling in empty air.

"_Tiger, what are you doing here? Did you speak to Mister Lloyds_?"

He had to watch Saito's mouth pretty carefully to make out what he was saying, but he was getting better at putting the bits together to form a whole.

"Say, Mister Saito...is there any way you could destroy that footage from the gym last night?"

Saito leveled a frank, unhappy look at him and shook his head once in the negative.

"Could you, maybe, password protect it or something?" Kotetsu asked, drawing closer. "Make it so that no one could access it?"

"_Tiger, assault is a crime_," Saito whispered. "_If you're ashamed because you're a man, please don't allow yourself to become an alarming statistic_ \- "

"No, Mister Saito, please, listen," he earnestly said, grasping for ways to convey the situation properly. "I think...I think Bunny has been...been affected by another Next."

Saito's thin brows went up and Kotetsu took it as a silent invitation to continue.

"He's never done anything like that before," he rushed to say, his words stumbling over themselves like his clumsy feet usually would. "I've never known him to be violent or scary like that before. I hurt him on accident in a really unusual way, and I can tell you that it wasn't really Bunny who was there with me. I mean, it _was_, but some Next made him act like someone else, and now he's forgotten everything about it, and I'd like to keep it that way..."

Saito's expression clearly conveyed that he thought he was hearing bullshit, and he wasn't buying it.

"I mean, come one! A handsome kid like Bunny doesn't need to take advantage of an old man like me, right?" Kotetsu chided, trying to find some kind of humor if reason was failing. It fell flat, though, so all he could do was speak the honest truth. "Honestly, Mister Saito, if you saw it the whole way through, _I'm_ the one who hurt _him_. Bunny may have started things, but I finished them, and if he wasn't in his right mind, then that makes _me_ the..._assailant_."

The word felt bitter and wrong, but probably because it was _true_.

"I don't want Bunny to ever see that. If anyone managed to leak it, it could ruin his entire life, and I don't want to be responsible for something so terrible," he quietly finished, anxiously smashing his hat in his hands, the clip digging into his palm. "Bunny wasn't himself, and I don't want to hurt him more...more than I already have."

Saito blinked and seemed to come to some sort of decision. He turned away from Kotetsu and spent several long, silent moments working at his computer. When he finished, he turned back and whispered, "_I've locked it under a security code. No one will be able to access it without my approval. I hope you know what you're doing, Tiger. Hiding something like this can only cause problems_."

"Bunny is a good kid with a bright future," Kotetsu said, thinking of his partner's brilliant charisma with the camera. "Something really _wrong_ has happened to him and I'm going to figure out what it is. Hopefully, I'll be able to sort it out without him remembering any of this, and then none of it will have happened, right?"

Again, Saito leveled a stern look at him and whispered, "_If that's what you think, Tiger, then I hope so_."

Kotetsu knew a dismissal when he heard one. Depositing the clip deep in his pocket, he returned to the office just as a Call went out.

"Shift it, Old Man," Bunny said, brushing past him with a smirk. "Time equals points."

Kotetsu buried his misgivings and worries and tagged after Barnaby, wishing and hoping that he hadn't fooled both himself _and_ Mister Saito.

Because if he couldn't get to the bottom of what was happening to Barnaby, then there was no way in the world he could ever pretend to be a hero with the weight of his own crimes dragging him down.


	5. Detecting

**Thank you to everyone who has left reviews! There is a point to all of this, lol, I swear! But I've never really been a fan of rushing, so it'll be a little while yet. Hopefully I won't put anyone off! Thanks again! It really means the world to me!**

* * *

Kotetsu spent a long, exhausting day at Bunny's side helping to keep the peace, able for a little while to push that alarming sense of worry to the back of his mind. Barnaby, of course, got all of the points and didn't mind sparkling about it. Kotetsu couldn't muster his usual spirited exception to this, not with his heart as heavy as it was.

"You really must've had a bad night," Bunny said, peeling off his suit in their changing room and settling the pieces in their cradles. The bodysuit seemed absurdly tight on his muscular but slender frame, something Kotetsu hadn't noticed before. But then, after last night, he was noticing all _kinds_ of things about his partner that he'd never noticed before.

"Ah," was all the response he could muster. He fished around in his discarded pants pocket for that little data clip, relieved when his thumb and forefinger closed around it. They'd rushed straight down to change and off on the bike when the call had come. He hadn't had a chance to destroy the damning thing as yet. He found an old lighter that Fire Emblem had given him a few years back, dragged it out of the depths of his locker, and clicked it experimentally to see if it would still work.

"Usually you're wound up and argumentative," Barnaby said, pausing to see if _that_ would get a staunch denial.

Kotetsu clicked the flame on and held the little data clip over it, anxiously watching a small plume of smoke start to wisp from its depths, sweat beading on his brow and running down into the lip of his helmet.

"Old Man, what on earth are you doing?" Bunny asked, annoyed at being ignored. Kotetsu had found that he reacted like any other bratty kid in that respect - Bunny wouldn't stand for it, not usually.

"Getting rid of something dangerous," he said, turning a little to keep Barnaby from touching it if he decided to snatch it away. The clip cracked and spat, quickly melting into a blob of charred plastics and metal. Kotetsu kept the flame on until his fingers started to burn, hoping that it was enough to render the thing useless.

"What was on that clip?" Bunny asked.

"Nothing important to you," Kotetsu informed him, wishing he'd been able to wait for some privacy to destroy it, but it was too dangerous a thing and he was too clumsy by far. It would be just like him to get home and realize it had slipped his possession somehow, and who knew where it might end up? If it was only himself at stake, he wouldn't have minded, but for Bunny's sake he couldn't risk it. Even if it got his partner's attention, at least this way it was done and completely destroyed. "It's just something that I don't want anyone else to see. Ever."

Barnaby pushed his glasses up his nose, probably offended that Kotetsu wasn't volunteering anymore information, and primly told him, "There are less barbaric methods to wipe a drive, Old Man. Do you always have to be so destructive?"

Kotetsu summoned an embarrassed laugh, hoping that would be enough to placate him. The crisp little clip quickly cooled in his hand and broke easily into a thousand powdery pieces when he ground it between his fingers. He flung the powder over his shoulder, glad to be rid of it, and set to stripping off the bulk of his suit.

"Honestly, you couldn't even be bothered to change first?" Barnaby inquired. Kotetsu knew it was probably driving the kid ape-shit that he didn't know what was on the clip, but he'd rather have a curious Bunny than a mindless sex-doll one.

"I wanted to make sure it was done before I lost it," he answered, nearly falling backwards in his attempt to pry the left leg piece off. The machine snapped it on them with laser precision, but getting out of the technological miracle that was their suits required the skill and aptitude of an Olympic gymnast. "_Sheesh_, why are these so difficult to get off?"

"You make everything more difficult for yourself," Barnaby said, drawing closer as if he was thinking of taking hold of it for him.

"_Don't come so close_!" Kotetsu warned him, freezing before he could manage to somehow pull a clumsy stunt. Bunny's eyes widened at the tone of his voice, indignation filling their green depths. "I...I mean, stay over there! I've got it."

Barnaby frowned, not pleased with him in the least.

"I've got it, Bunny - "

"My name is Barnaby, and you don't have to be rude." He was told, and should've frozen solid on the spot from Bunny's tone.

"Sorry, sorry," he hastened to say, scooting further down the bench a safe distance to continue his struggle. "I've been sort of clumsy today - "

"_Today_?"

" - and I don't want to hit you on accident," Kotetsu said, deciding to ignore the jibe. "I'm just trying to look out for you, Bunny."

"I don't need you to do that, Old Man," Barnaby said, somewhat mollified by his explanation, though who knew what that brat was ever thinking? "And by the time you get your suit off, we'll have been called out again. Honestly, you may as well just _live_ in it at the rate you're going!"

"Ah, hehehe, yeah..."

Bunny crossed his arms over his wide chest and watched with growing ire as Kotetsu worked on the leg piece, once again approaching when the lower part got lodged against the bolt on the bench at an odd angle, keeping it immobile.

"Damn it! I need to talk to Mister Saito about this!" Kotetsu ground out, giving up on the leg piece to tug the chest piece over his head. As always, it got lodged on his ears and tugged painfully, forcing a string of breathless curses from his mouth. He felt his leg shift and the pressure change and jerked back, his voice echoing up through the neckpiece of his suit when he shouted, "_Bunny! Don't do that! Get back_!"

He wrenched the top of his suit off, the weight of it dragging his center of balance off where he was sitting. He toppled off of the bench to one side and watched in stunned horror as his suit-clad foot solidly clipped his partner, who'd come to straddle his leg in an attempt to yank his lower suit off.

'_It wasn't that hard! Please, let it not have been that hard! Oh, God, Bunny! Please don't let me have hurt you again_!'

Bunny fell with him into a messy pile against the lockers, the grating noise of contact slowly fading to stifling silence.

Kotetsu didn't move, didn't dare to. His head was shoved at an awkward angle against the lockers and he was glad he'd landed mostly against the top portion of his suit or he might've actually broken his neck. Barnaby was utterly still, sprawled across the tangle of his legs with his back and broad shoulders to Kotetsu.

Kotetsu hoped that it hadn't been what it seemed. Statistically, was it possible to accidentally hit Bunny's trigger twice in as many days like this? Surely not. Surely it was just an average accident, or this would've been happening all of the time.

Except for the fact that Barnaby had only recently stopped maintaining a personal bubble a mile wide around himself. In fact, it had only been in the last three or four days that the snotty kid had stopped shrugging Kotetsu's friendly advances off. In all honestly, before a few days ago, Kotetsu wouldn't have been physically close enough to Bunny to hit him this way, and he wondered if his partner's disdain for physical contact was another aspect of the Next who'd done this to him...

Barnaby turned a little, enough so that one green eye caught the overheads and gleamed in the rather dim locker room.

"Please be okay," Kotetsu whispered, because he wasn't sure his heart could take another bout with Stranger Bunny, the guilt might just cripple him.

Bunny latched onto the suit on his leg and ripped it free, simply tore it off and flung it against the far wall hard enough to dent it.

"Y...you're okay, right? Right? Bunny?"

In continued silence, Barnaby tore the other piece off, leaving Kotetsu in just his bodysuit. He hoped that the sensors in the bodysuits went down when the shell of the suit came off, because otherwise he was going to have to face Mister Saito again, and he wasn't sure he could.

"_Bunny_!" Kotetsu sharply said, grabbing him around the waist and boosting him up onto the bench. His neck and back bitterly informed him that he'd be paying for his fall later, but at least he'd taken the brunt of the fall, and he was relatively certain that his partner hadn't suffered any serious injury from it.

"Give me what I want..."

"_No_!" he firmly said, getting around behind him on the bench so that Bunny couldn't see him. He took the preemptive step of clasping Barnaby's slim wrists in his hands, holding the young man's hands well apart and down at his sides. "Listen, you listen to me - we're not doing this again, Bunny. Talk to me, okay? Who do you usually do this with? Can you tell me what they look like? Is it a man? A woman? Young? Old? What?"

Bunny made a low, purring, keening noise in his throat and breathed, "Give me what I want."

"Concentrate, Bunny, okay?" Kotetsu begged him, resorting to pulling Bunny's arms all the way straight back, which was probably painful considering the way he was wriggling around. "Tell me what you know about this, damn it!"

At least he had a good twenty minutes before Barnaby could activate his powers again. That was an advantage he couldn't let slip away. But Bunny was strong in his own right, and even though Kotetsu had him in upper body power, it was still pretty dicey trying to keep control of his partner's powerful arms.

"_Give me what I want_!" Bunny snarled, and dragged forward, wrenching Kotetsu up onto his back and ripping his wrists free.

Kotetsu took the high road.

He bounded from the bench and fled to the showers, hoping that the "demanding" phase was short-lived enough that he could just avoid his partner until it was over. No one else would come in here, especially not into the shower room, so if he could just manage to play keep away long enough, Bunny might snap out of it.

Barnaby came through the sealed door at a slow, distracting saunter far removed from his usual determined, confident stride. When he saw Kotetsu smashed into the far corner, he cocked his head and blinked, as if processing. It was a mechanical gesture that was eerie and out of place from a human being, and only slammed home the idea that someone wanted a Bunny-doll. Even the exaggerated blinking was reminiscent of an automaton Kotetsu had seen as a child - a beautiful, porcelain shell with empty, languid glass eyes that had slowly swept open and closed as it moved...

"Bunny..."

"Give me what I want..." Barnaby held out his left hand, long fingers spread, reaching for him.

"Bunny...I - _this isn't the place_!" he hissed, sidestepping when his partner drew near.

Bunny stopped and blinked, watching him.

"Er..."

'_Did that work? Do direct phrases like that get through? Whoever that person is who did this to him, they have to have some way to direct him, right? The trigger alone is outlandish enough that Bunny shouldn't be _switched on _by accident...but if it's some stranger, then they have to have a way to get him somewhere private, right_?'

Kotetsu swallowed hard and said, "Barnaby." His partner blinked. "Go over there, to the corner."

He felt rather ill to see Bunny docilely do as he was told. The handsome young man obediently went to the corner that Kotetsu had indicated, and waited with the same still, infinite patience of a saint.

Kotetsu used the time to consider what he already knew - which was mainly that fighting Bunny seemed to be perceived as part of the game, because no amount of protests or resistance had managed to do what a simple phrase had. It bothered the older man to think that someone was playing such rough games with Bunny's body, was doing such awful things to him all without him knowing. He wondered what part the phrase "Give me what I want," played...Was it some kind of requirement on the part of the other Next? Did they need to have Bunny repeat it, as if him saying such a thing made it all okay?

"It's not okay," Kotetsu whispered.

Bunny twitched in the corner and breathed again, "Give me what I want."

"Barnaby," he said, because he noticed that _Bunny_ didn't seem to reach him as well as his proper name did, probably because his abuser called him by his given name. "Who am I?"

"The one who gives me what I want," Barnaby answered, eyes slitting closed behind his glasses. He had a streak of soot on his face where he'd brushed it taking off his helmet. It made his eyes seem even more green, sparkling and empty.

"What's my name?"

He immediately wished he hadn't asked, because it was like a punch to the gut to hear Bunny playfully answer, "_Papa_..."


	6. Resolving

"_That_," Kotetsu announced, "Is just _wrong_! _Bunny_! Wake up! Seriously, now - you have to be in there somewhere and you would die of embarrassment to hear yourself - "

He edged away when Barnaby decided his statement was implied permission to move. It was entirely distracting to see his partner move like that, even though he knew on an intellectual level that Barnaby had always been very graceful and fluid. It was what the ladies liked to see when he had his helmet on and they couldn't enjoy his handsome face. Bunny had even mentioned to Lloyds that he was purposefully aware of "the picture I present," but seeing it put to this use gave things a whole new level of uncomfortable.

"Now, now, Bunny, are you done yet? Come on, now - _papa_?!" It was creepy to even hear such a thing, because he could never imagine his snooty, poised partner calling _anyone_ "papa", even as a child. Add in the context, and Kotetsu was feeling well past the bounds of his comfort zone.

He circled, concentrating so hard on Bunny that his clumsiness didn't make an appearance for a change. For his part, Barnaby seemed content to follow, reaching with his outstretched hand.

"Give me what I want," he sighed, and seemed so relaxed compared to last time that Kotetsu made a rookie mistake.

He underestimated the younger man.

When he moved to step aside and continue this endless loop of cat and mouse, Barnaby moved with sudden ferocity and speed, and hit him with enough force to slam the both of them into the tile wall, sending a broken piece tinkling off across the slippery floor.

It knocked Kotetsu momentarily breathless, mostly due to the air rushing out of him combined with the tight, pinning pressure of Barnaby's chest against his.

"Give me what I want," Bunny sighed, and gripped his face, sliding up tightly against him so that Kotetsu could tell his partner was pretty damned pleased to be exactly where he was.

"Er...Bunny..._sheesh_, you're close! Gah!" He cried, wriggling to one side.

Bunny rode his movements, nuzzling against him, one hand clenching on his jaw and the other tightening on his shoulder.

"Give me what I want..."

"I don't want to do this to you, Bunny," Kotetsu said, a note of pleading in his deep voice. "Can't you hear me? Eh? Please, please, fall asleep or something..."

Instead, Bunny's nuzzling mouth slid over his and planted soft, nipping kisses on his lower lip, teasing the plumpness of it before doing the same to his upper lip, all the while purring, "_Give it to me...what I want..._"

"No," Kotetsu said, forcing the last of his conviction into the denial, knowing that he'd feel even more shitty after _this_ time than he had after the first. Was he such a weak-willed person? Was his strength of character so shallow that he'd be done in by soft kisses and the whispered lies of a young man he truly never wanted to hurt? "No..."

Those soft, nibbling, teasing kisses deepened, Bunny pressing flush against him with no sign of the almost-panicked demands of the night before. The only sign of impatience was in the hand gripping Kotetsu's jaw - the fingers were tight and tense, as if bracing for him to try getting away.

"Er...Bunny, you're a little..."

Barnaby purred against his mouth and did some kind of undulation with his hips that sent a tingle of sensation skittering up Kotetsu's spine.

"_Barnaby_! Snap out of it, damn it!" he gasped, desperately making a bid to the side. He was rapidly coming to the realization that he wasn't going to avoid this, so his only choice was to mitigate the damage as much as possible. It was darkly funny how quickly his intent had changed from avoiding it at all costs to simply keeping his bodysuit on. "Clothes on" was a small but potentially obtainable goal.

"Give me what I want," Bunny murmured, flattening him to the wall again, his tongue teasing a trail down Kotetsu's chin where he bit him softly.

A shiver turned into a tremble, then a shudder when Barnaby's soft mouth moved to his throat and traced the lip of his bodysuit, tugging on it with his teeth.

'_Okay, last time after he..._finished,' Kotetsu thought, blushing beet red at the memory of Bunny with his head thrown back and his enviable body bouncing with the force of his orgasm. '_Then he changed back, right? Maybe if I can_...'

He shook his head violently enough that Barnaby took it as resistance and tightened his hold, pinning Kotetsu's hips with his own and uttering a low, rumbling sound that was pure sex.

Kotetsu's blush intensified when he figured out why - Bunny's stiff body pulsed against his hard hip, rubbing with each gentle rock of the younger man's hips.

"Damn it, what do I do?" Kotetsu breathed, desperately trying to review his options. He came to a single grim conclusion - if he didn't want to risk Bunny either following him from the building in such a state, or else latching onto someone else and doing this, then he had to make sure Bunny...well...got what he wanted.

It was just a matter of how much _Kotetsu_ was willing to give.

"Bunny, please, if you ever remember any of this, don't hate me, okay?" he begged, avoiding Barnaby's seeking mouth long enough to get it out. "One of these days, I hope you'll understand that I was doing my best..."

Barnaby responded by gliding his tongue into Kotetsu's mouth and effectively hushing him. Distracted by those deep, devouring kisses, which was something he'd missed more than sex itself, Kotetsu squirmed around and groped down the length of his partner's suit-covered belly until he reached the impressive bulge of Bunny's hard sex.

Barnaby moaned into his mouth and pushed against his hand, shifting in the slippery material of the suit until Kotetsu's fingers rested where he wanted them most.

"Damn it, I don't know what I'm doing!" Kotetsu hissed, dragging his mouth off of Bunny's long enough to take a deep breath. He groped the shape of him and stroked the hard curve through his suit, both severely appalled at himself and embarrassingly enticed by the way his partner shoved and moved against his hand, moaning softly. "Sheesh, Bunny, this..."

"_Ah_, give me what I want!" Bunny groaned, panting, and his skillful mouth was so temptingly pretty, so slick and open, that Kotetsu couldn't resist - he closed his eyes and drew the younger man back into more of those delicious, deep kisses with the vague thought that if he wasn't _watching_ Bunny writhe in pleasure, then it was less of a travesty.

He felt the tension build in his partner's slender but powerful frame, blushing at the rising crescendo of his moans but working his hand vigorously to satisfy him. Barnaby arched into his fingers and gasped, his green eyes rolling back into his head, his long eyelashes fluttering. He slumped suddenly in Kotetsu's arms and slid down his body, his handsome face upturned and his glassy eyes cloudy with spent pleasure. It was messy, clumsy, and awkward, but it seemed to have done the trick.

"B...Bunny?" he tried, cautiously bending over a little to look down at him, dismayed that the sight of his partner's parted lips and flushed cheeks was actually doing something for his own libido. He'd never expected to look at another man - even one as handsome as Barnaby - and feel attraction, let alone this almost painful desire to touch him. Most of that desire, though, was to wrap his arms around his partner's broad shoulders and hold him until he woke up.

But that would cause some serious, potentially life-threatening issues, so he restrained himself. Restrained himself _admirably_, he felt. He didn't want to be closer than four feet to Barnaby when the young man finally...woke.

So he slipped down the wall a few feet and waited with baited breath for some semblance of his partner to leak back into those green eyes. He wasn't sure when the supposed migraine would kick in and try erasing things, but he intended to stick close to Bunny and find out.

Bunny blinked and rose fluidly from the floor. Without so much as twitching a long eyelash in Kotetsu's direction, he turned right around and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Kotetsu said, dragging him back. "You have to wake up first, so we can talk about this! _Bunny_!"

"I have to go," Barnaby said, his tone flat and dead. "I need to go."

"No, you can't!" he insisted, going so far as to give the younger man a push away from the door. "Wake up, damn it! I know it has to be soon! Come on!"

"I have to go! I need to go!" his partner insisted, heading for the door. "I have to go! I have to go!"

"Bunny! _What the hell_?!" Frustrated, Kotetsu tried dragging him back again, but Barnaby easily shook him off, now in a circling mantra of, "I have to go. I need to go," as he reached for the locker room door.

"Bunny! Wait! You can't go out looking that way! Wait!"

He chased after, darting in front of the locker room door to bar the way.

"You can't go out looking like that!" he barked, heart pounding with the worry that his partner would knock him aside and continue on anyway. "You have to put your proper clothes on, Bunny!"

Luckily for him, Barnaby paused, head cocking.

"...clothes..."

"_Yes_! Clothes!" Remembering that Stranger Bunny would respond to certain direct phrases, he said, "Take that suit off, Barnaby, and put your proper clothes on!" Even though his fussy partner would fall into a dead faint of disgust to have not showered off first, Kotetsu figured it was better than him wandering out of the building in just his bodysuit.

He heaved a little sigh of relief when Barnaby abruptly turned to their lockers and started peeling off his bodysuit. He hastened to do the same, certain that he was safe from his partner's amorous advances now that Bunny had been satisfied. He managed to only nearly fall over twice in the process, which was damned-near a record for him and impressive considering he was trying to get fully dressed before Barnaby.

Bunny dressed quickly and efficiently, even buckling his belt and half-zipping that leather jacket he loved. Whoever had set these orders in him had certainly been thorough - when the young man was told to dress, he looked just as he always did, down to every buckle on his boots being in place. Kotetsu looked like an undone wreck next to him, but his belt was buckled and his shoes were tied, so he skittered after Bunny despite it.

Barnaby rode silently in the elevator down to the parking garage, never once responding to Kotetsu's soft inquiries. In fact, he completely ignored everyone, as if he was only programmed to go straight to his car and...well, wherever else he went. He said he'd gone straight home yesterday, but he also had said that Kotetsu had left with the others, so the older man wasn't sure how much of Bunny's version to believe.

Maybe there was a small chance that his brainwashed partner would go to the person who'd programmed him? Maybe then Kotetsu could see who it was, spill the whole thing to Bunny, and the pair of them could figure it out?

He opted to follow Barnaby, so tense at how the younger man was driving that his knuckles turned white with the force of his grip. Not that it was any different from the younger man's usual driving habits, it was just that it scared the holy hell out of Kotetsu, who drove with the complete understanding that he couldn't afford a replacement for his car.

But instead of going to some obscure location for a secret rendezvous, Bunny drove straight to his place and into the parking garage, which Kotetsu didn't have access to.

"Damn it," he breathed, watching the flash of tail lights vanish within the restricted area. "So much for that, Bunny..."

He hated that he was running out of options. He pulled off along the curb and turned the engine off, resting his forehead on the wheel so he could think undisturbed. He reviewed what he knew as thoroughly as his shame would allow for, marking up that fact that Bunny's trigger was precisely what he thought it was, that the weird behavior didn't stop until..._then_...and that his partner had a specific set of responses to events. If he got tagged in the balls, he insisted to be given what he wanted. When it was over, he insisted that he had to go, so it sounded like whoever had done this to him couldn't afford to have him stick around. Married, maybe? Busy? Someone who had access to Bunny who wouldn't be immediately remarked on for having him around? He felt like he was missing something huge, but he had too many tiny pieces of a big puzzle to figure it all out. He did know that if he tried to stop Barnaby from leaving, he was risking his own safety as well as the damage fines that would come from the state of Apollon property. He couldn't just _tell_ Bunny because the younger man would flare up at him to stop wasting time with stupid lies and probably get really angry with him. There had to be a way to _prove _it to his partner, but to do that he'd have to...well...do _the thing_ again and find a way to keep Barnaby with him on the heels of it, so the migraine thing couldn't kick in and erase it.

He felt a flutter of fear in the pit of his stomach at what he was contemplating, at how low he was about to stoop.

And not the least of this fear was the worry that he was doing it for selfish, shameful, and twisted reasons instead of for his partner's sake.


	7. Inciting

**Thanks again to everyone who leaves a review! Your feedback is what tells me when I'm on the right track as well as when I've gone wrong! I really wish this fandom was more active, but I really have come late to the party, lol!**

* * *

Barnaby didn't respond to his texts or answer his calls, which Kotetsu knew would be the case before he even tried, but he was worried for his partner and couldn't help himself. After returning to Justice tower to retrieve the pieces of his suit left lying around, he spent the night steeling himself for what he was going to do, which was a vague kind of plan that relied heavily on Bunny's nonexistent compliance with anything Kotetsu suggested. Somehow, he'd get Barnaby to come to his place and...then the rest remained mired in a fog of intention that culminated in Barnaby finding out about his bizarre condition.

And hopefully not murdering Kotetsu for his part in it all.

A notice was waiting for him when he got into the office advising him to telephone Mister Lloyds immediately. He glanced anxiously at Barnaby's empty desk, wondering where he was and hoping everything was okay.

Heart pounding with unease, he put a call through to Mister Lloyds, who answered on the first ring.

"Ah, Tiger, I'm glad you called before I left," the man said, looking harassed and fairly unhappy...which wasn't much of a change from his usual. A generic hotel room was visible around him, reminding Kotetsu that the man had been gone for a few days on meetings. "I wanted to advise you that in the future, should your suit sustain any damage outside of your assigned hero duties, _you'll_ be responsible for the charges. Mister Saito said the returned pieces of your suit were ruined beyond repair and would have to be recycled."

Kotetsu offered him a cringing grin, shifting uncomfortably and hoping like hell that Barnaby wouldn't walk in on this one. When Bunny had ripped his leg pieces off yesterday, he'd completely destroyed the series of fastenings used to hold them in place and had ruined them. Being slapped with the fine to replace them was a small enough price to pay to keep everyone ignorant of what was going on.

"Er...I have some trouble with it..." he said, not sure how to explain it.

"You'd better _stop_ having trouble. We'll cover the cost this time, but just this once," Lloyds said, irritated. "In the future, be more careful how you take it off. Those things are expensive!"

"Ah, yeah! Sorry, sorry!" Kotetsu told him, giving the man a conciliatory grin. "My mistake! I'm still getting used to it!"

"And I expect your issue with Barnaby is resolved?"

"Ah...y...yeah, mostly," Kotetsu answered, alarmed whenever he spied Bunny returning from the restrooms. "I have to go, Mister Lloyds!"

"I'll be back tomorrow," the man said, scowling. "I'll want to speak to the both of you!"

"_No_!" Kotetsu shouted, and flushed whenever it made Barnaby glance at him, curious at his outburst. "I mean..._that's not necessary_! Bye bye!"

He ended the call before Bunny reached his desk, his anxious brown eyes tracking the younger man's movements. His partner seemed less energetic than usual and was sporting smudges beneath his cat-like eyes.

'_I wonder if part of his routine is to contact that person by phone or something? Did they maybe find out that someone else knows the trigger and so they did something bad to Bunny_?'

"Please stop staring at me," Barnaby said, tipping his head to stare straight back at him.

"You look a little less..." Kotetsu struggled to find a word that wouldn't result in an immediate injury to Bunny's ego. "_Sparkly_."

"I had another migraine last night," Bunny said, looking through the paperwork on his desk. "And I have never _sparkled_, Old Man."

"Ah, hehehe, yeah..." Swallowing hard in an excess of nerves, he slapped on a cheerful grin and said, "Say, Bunny! I had an idea! Why don't you come to my place for dinner? Eh? I'll make you some fried - "

"No thank you," Barnaby said, instantly dismissing it. "Judging by the state of your desk, I can only assume that your house is equally as unkempt. I wouldn't want to risk a staph infection.

"Hey, now!" Kotetsu shouted, offended. "I cleaned last night! Come on, don't be so fussy!"

"I am _not_ fussy," Barnaby shortly said, his shoulders tightening.

Sensing an opening when he saw one, Kotetsu pressed, "Fussy. _Fussy Bunny_. Bunny is too fussy to come to see his senpai - "

Barnaby heaved a sigh and dropped his head back in resignation, asking with his eyes closed, "If I go, will you stop saying that?"

"Of course!" Kotetsu said, grinning.

"And will you refrain from inviting me over again?" Bunny asked.

"Well...Yeah, I guess," Kotetsu said, his grin falling to a frown. "But my fried rice is really - "

"Fine," his partner said. "I'll come to your place this once, and then we'll never go through this again, correct?"

"Man, you really are awful with people, Bunny," Kotetsu observed, shaking his head at how hopeless the younger man was. "How come everyone thinks you're so wonderful?"

"Please do your work, Old Man," he was told, and that effectively ended the subject.

* * *

Kotetsu could feel himself getting more anxious the closer he got to his house. He ran through a mental checklist, feeling like he'd forgotten something and knowing he probably had. The house was clean, so that was taken care of. He always had the things to make fried rice, in case Barnaby caught on and demanded proof of his intentions. The home surveillance stand-alone recorder his mother had gotten him was finally out of the box and fixed in a corner of the apartment with equal visual access to his entire place. He'd even managed to set it to automatically fix and zoom when it detected motion...just in case Bunny needed physical proof to back up what Kotetsu was telling him. If he hadn't destroyed the clip, he could've just used it, but it was so awful and ugly that, deep down, he was glad it was gone.

The only other thing was taking a bath for fastidious Bunny's sake, but they'd both just showered after a long day of arresting criminals, so that was taken care of, too.

All that remained was getting Bunny into his place and...and...hitting his trigger...

Kotetsu winced just thinking about it, his knees drawing together a little in protest.

He glanced back in the rearview and spied Barnaby's sports car just behind him, no doubt impatient with the speed and caution he drove with, a speed that was even more mindful of the law today considering his reluctance to actually commit the task he'd set himself to.

He parked on the street, which wasn't a problem down here on the Bronze level, and waited on the sidewalk as Bunny parked and locked his car.

The young man looked around as he idly set the alarm on his car, his green eyes trailing up to the underpinnings of the silver level above them.

"You've never been down here?" Kotetsu asked, managing a fairly authentic grin. He was so nervous about unconsciously betraying himself that he was bound to make Bunny suspicious...

"No, I've never had a reason to come down here," Barnaby answered, wrinkling his nose a little. "I had no idea it was so dim."

"Ah, but there's plenty of sunlight!" Kotetsu protested, pointing at the break in the supports that opened all the way up through the Gold level. "See? It's not so bad!"

"It's a little awful," Bunny informed him, eyeing the opening as if it had offended him somehow. "I can't imagine how much litter must fall from up there."

"Well...er...the grates catch it, I guess," Kotetsu said, laughing softly, which only won him one of Barnaby's signature, repressive Looks. "_Anyway_! Come inside!"

Barnaby turned his attention to Kotetsu's small house, assessing it with an air of disapproval that actually bothered the older man.

"You don't have to glare at it, it's paid for," Kotetsu told him, frowning a little.

This home had been his and Tomoe's when they'd first gotten married, purchased with what little they could scrape together and paid on a high-interest loan until it was their very own. They'd planned to fix it up and resell as their family grew, but then she'd gotten ill, and all of their plans had gone into the ground along with her precious heart...

"Why are you sulking, Old Man?" Barnaby asked, watching him. "I hadn't reckoned you'd live in such a proper building."

"Oh?"

"I figured you for more of a room above a bar type," Bunny said, and Kotetsu still couldn't puzzle him out enough to decide if he was making a joke or not. Deciding he was, the older man shrugged and grinned at him, moving to unlock the door.

Barnaby strode into his house with the same confident, straight-backed stride that Kotetsu preferred, taking everything in at a glance.

There really wasn't that much to see. After his mother had removed baby Kaede's things to the country to care for her, and after his brother had come and packed up Tomoe's things while Kotetsu was passed out in a drunken stupor, there really wasn't anything left. Aside from the pictures of his daughter and dead wife - which he'd tactfully put away this morning - he didn't really have any personal things lying around. His old film collections about Mister Legend and back issues of Hero magazine were the only things he honestly cared to keep. Everything else was incidental.

"Well, this place is certainly..." Barnaby said, turning a small half-circle to take it all in. "_You_."

'_Snotty brat_,' Kotetsu thought, but all he said was, "Ah, hehehe, yeah, I guess. I'm pretty simple, I guess."

"That's putting it mildly," Barnaby said, pushing his glasses up his straight nose. "Shall we have this touted fried rice of yours, Old Man? I have other things I could be doing and I don't want to waste any more time here than necessary."

"Sheesh, Bunny, you're so cold sometimes, it's troubling!" Kotetsu scolded, scowling at him. "You'll never get a girlfriend and find a wife being like that!"

"I'm not interested in either of those things," Bunny archly informed him. "Not that it's any of your business, Old Man, but the vast majority of my popularity is dependent upon our female viewers believing that any one of them might have a chance with me. Whether it's realistic or not, my being involved with a woman would only serve to alienate a large portion of our viewing audience and negatively impact our popularity."

"That's a pretty pragmatic way of looking at it," Kotetsu said, astounded by his reasoning. "You're shorting yourself a lot of experiences that way. What about your first love? What about all the fun you get to have learning everything about someone you care for? What - "

"Nonsense," Barnaby declared it. "Please keep your romantic drivel to yourself, thank you. I have no intentions of entangling myself with a messy relationship. Are you going to cook, or should I just go now?"

"I'll cook," Kotetsu assured him, wondering if Bunny was really a young man after all, or some heartless, cold businessman in his sixties. "But first there's something I have to tell you."

"Will it take terribly long?" Bunny asked, turning fully towards him.

"No," Kotetsu said, and swallowed hard. "Listen...Listen, Bunny...lately, you've been..._sick_."

"Do you mean my migraines?" the younger man asked, his lips pursing in a way that gave Kotetsu a vivid reminder of having kissed him. Well, to be fair, having virtually _devoured_ him in the locker room last night... "Why on earth are you blushing? Hurry up and say what you mean to tell me!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry! No, sick, I mean, like I've hit you on accident twice and both times you've gotten..." Kotetsu trailed off, realizing that he couldn't actually make himself say it. "Weird."

"How descriptive," Bunny said, his head tilting back in that stubborn way of his so that he could look down his perfect nose at Kotetsu. "_Weird_? If there's no point to this, Old Man, then I'll just be going."

"_You do things you'd probably hate doing otherwise and then when you snap out of it you forget the whole thing and think you've had a migraine_!" Kotetsu shouted, deciding to push the whole of it out at him.

Taken aback, Barnaby stared at him silently for at least a full minute, all the while Kotetsu felt like his heart was going to come slamming out of his chest, it was beating so hard.

"I don't have time for your nonsense," Barnaby hissed at him, and headed towards the door.

"No, wait! Bunny! It _is_ true! I can prove it!"

"_Excuse_ me?" Barnaby asked, and waited with hands on hips for Kotetsu to explain himself. "Well? Let's see this _proof_ of yours."

"Before that, Bunny, please forgive me," Kotetsu asked him, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

"Forgive you for _what_?" Bunny asked, then slowly sank to the floor in surprise when Kotetsu dove into him and drove one knee up hard between his slightly-parted legs.


	8. Engaging

**Thank you again for the support! I hope you guys are still enjoying it :D Commencing awkward sex scene...GO**

* * *

For one frightening moment of mingled relief and dismay, Kotetsu thought that it hadn't worked. In a split second a jumble of thoughts flooded him - maybe whoever had done this was gone, maybe Bunny was okay now, or the Next had found out about _Kotetsu _finding out and had changed the trigger, or maybe Bunny was going to catch his breath and kick Kotetsu's ass from one end of his house to the other.

He heard Bunny's breath come out in a long, soft sigh and knew that none of those things was the case.

"Ah...Bunny?"

Blank green eyes lifted in that handsome face completely devoid of all emotion and his lean body grew utterly relaxed. Kotetsu angled an anxious glance up at the recorder, relieved to find that it had shifted to focus on them.

"Give me what I want..." Bunny said, slipping to his feet with all the lithe grace of dancer.

Kotetsu, though, said to the recorder, "I'll try to be nice to you, Bunny, okay? I'll be careful with you, I promise. I don't know what that other person does to you, but I'll be really careful, okay? Please don't hate me too much..."

He'd decided last night that he would completely and thoroughly give Bunny exactly what he wanted. Part of it, he knew with a burning degree of shame, was because he was so achingly lonely and wanted to touch his partner again, to be a part of someone else for a little while. It was wrong and damning, he knew, but he was inherently too honest with himself to pretend that he didn't want it. But for the most part, all he could think was that if Barnaby watched this and saw himself essentially forcing Kotetsu into sex, then the younger man would never get over it. He didn't fool himself into thinking that Barnaby would feel awful for doing something to _him_, he just knew enough about Bunny's personality to realize that being in the wrong was absolutely abhorrent to his partner. If Barnaby was to see himself assaulting Kotetsu, he'd likely fly off the handle and demand to be held accountable.

So Kotetsu would take responsibility. He'd pour every ounce of his loneliness into this one time with Bunny with the assurance that it wouldn't land him in the same kind of hot water that it had with that woman so many years ago. Bunny would be thoroughly disgusted by him, grossly offended, probably, but at least he wouldn't get the wrong idea that an old man's hunger in bed equaled a firm foundation for a relationship...

He only hoped that after Bunny knew the truth, there would be a chance for Kotetsu to help him solve this problem and repent for what he was about to do.

His partner moved towards him but Kotetsu held up a staying hand, saying, "Barnaby, give me your car keys."

Bunny obediently fished into his pants pocket and retrieved his keys, handing them over to Kotetsu with an eerie blink. Kotetsu promptly put them in his own pocket, and said to him, "Go up those stairs, Barnaby, to the bed."

"To the bed..." Bunny echoed, and as long as there was a continued line of commands, there was no appearance of his desperate plea to be given what he wanted.

Kotetsu watched him for a moment to be sure he was going, and then turned to bolt the door and twist the key lock, which would prevent his partner from leaving...well, in theory. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't just tear the door from its hinges and continue on his way, was there? Still, he had to do everything he could to keep Barnaby here until he woke up out of this crazy fugue.

He turned away from the door and headed across the room, his eyes tracking Bunny's slim, powerful form slowly mounting the steps. Feeling both vastly ashamed and increasingly enticed - which only served to fuel the shame - Kotetsu followed his partner up to the loft where his bed was. He tried not to think about how it was the same bed he'd shared with his wife before she'd gone into the hospital permanently. He tried not to think about how upset she would be with him, either. It wasn't the fact that Bunny was a man - Tomoe had been a vociferous fan of Boys Love manga and hadn't spared him in the least in that regard. No, considering she'd teasingly tried to get him to kiss Antonio back in high school, the gender of his partner wouldn't flutter a single long eyelash of his wife's. It was the fact that Bunny didn't know what was happening, and Tomoe would be outraged that he would even consider doing something like this to someone he claimed to want to protect.

'_How dare you, you sick old man_?' he thought, but despite it he still watched the sway of Bunny's squeezable backside as the younger man moved ahead of him.

"Forgive me, Tomoe," he breathed, turning Bunny when they reached the landing. He gazed into those blank, beautiful eyes and said more urgently, "Please forgive me, Barnaby."

Bunny let out a soft little sigh and murmured, "Give me what I want."

Swallowing hard to quiet his nerves, Kotetsu gently grasped his partner's slim face and forced those empty eyes to meet his.

"Barnaby," he said, trying to stir an ember of understanding to no avail. "We're not going to rush this, do you understand? Slowly, okay? I don't want to hurt you, Bunny, so don't be in a hurry. Slowly."

"Slowly," Barnaby said, blinking. Kotetsu was beginning to believe that the blinking was an agreement of sorts, a signal that the message was received. It chilled him to think what kind of games this unknown Next was playing with Bunny's body to require nonverbal communication. Shivering a little at the thought, he shook himself to clear it and unzipped Bunny's beloved leather jacket.

The sound of the metal zipper was loud in his ears, emphasizing a silence that seemed deafening. The thunder of his heart had subsided when he touched his partner, his sharp focus working its usual magic on him. His fingers didn't shake when he eased Barnaby's jacket off and draped it over the small chair in one corner of the narrow room. He wasn't worried or agitated as he pulled Bunny's shirt loose from the lip of his cargo pants. Every bit of his attention was focused on the pale flesh slowly brought into view as he eased the shirt up, baring the muscular plank of his partner's belly, his wide chest with those two pearly-pink nipples, and the enticing hollow of his collarbone.

He tugged the shirt gently over Bunny's head, dropped it off to one side, and carefully removed the young man's glasses, murmuring to him, "It's okay, Bunny. I'll be careful, I promise. Please don't hate me too much, even though I deserve it..."

"Give me what I want."

He placed Bunny's glasses on the shelf over his bed and looked his partner full in the face, letting himself find the symmetry in the slopes of his cheeks and the angle of his fine nose. He let everything else just fall away so that the true shape of Bunny's features were his to see, and once again he found that his partner really was more than just handsome.

If anything, Barnaby Brooks Junior was beautiful, only if just for this moment in time.

"Don't be afraid," Kotetsu said, but he wasn't sure if he was talking to Bunny or to himself. He splayed his fingers on Bunny's cheek, enjoying the difference in the shade of their skin. He brushed his thumb across his partner's lower lip, entranced by the silky texture, by the slight way the delicate skin clung to his thumb from the moisture of Bunny's mouth.

And all the while those green eyes stayed on his face, fixed but unseeing, silently witnessing an old man indulge himself for the last time with a brat he had no right to touch like this.

"Hold still," he whispered, stepping closer to trace the contours of Barnaby's mouth with the tip of his tongue before sliding it within. Those lips parted without a trace of resistance, following the urging of Kotetsu's hand as it forced Bunny's head to tip just a bit. He didn't tell Barnaby to kiss him back, and maybe the programming didn't work that way, but Kotetsu was secretly relieved whenever his partner grew increasingly responsive to his kisses, increasingly demanding of more. With the shame being buried under growing desire, Kotetsu let both hands fall to Bunny's slim waist and settled his palms on warm, naked flesh, his fingers trailing down to find the lip of his partner's pants. Barnaby's heart thundered so hard that Kotetsu could almost hear it, could feel the frantic pumping of it echo all the way down through that taut, beautiful body.

He nudged Bunny's face up and bit him lightly on the chin, teasing his tongue down the curve of his jaw to probe the delicate shell of his ear. He wanted to know every inch of him, to find all of the secret places on Barnaby's lovely body so that every bit of tender skin knew the touch of his questing fingers. It was this same burning, single-minded desire of the flesh that had made that woman want to date him seriously all those years ago, mistaking such intensity for passionate emotion. Yet this desire, he knew, was a travesty when he spent it this way on Barnaby's mindlessly willing flesh. All he could think to redeem himself was that in making love to Bunny, at least his partner would see that he hadn't intentionally caused him physical harm, however deeply the psychological wounds might scar...

"I'm sorry, Barnaby," he whispered, hot tears stinging his eyes, but there was no backing out now. He couldn't even guarantee that tying Bunny up would do the trick, since he'd had more than enough time to regain his Hundred Power. No, as wrong as it was, this was the only way he could see to go, since that Next obviously had never envisioned accidentally setting Bunny off...

"Give me what I want," Barnaby said, fingers rising to grip the collar of Kotetsu's shirt with force.

"Wait, slowly," the older man reminded him, gripping Barnaby's corded wrists and easing his hands away so that he could unknot his tie. He slipped it over his head and dropped it on the floor before going to work on his shirt buttons. He was surprised when the younger man went for his belt, but said nothing to stop him. His continued insistence to be slow and careful seemed to have penetrated somehow, because Barnaby delicately undid the buckle and slid the tail free without ripping or damaging it at all. "Good, see? Careful. There's no reason to rush. Maybe if we take long enough, you'll wake up before we get to the really terrible part..."

Those slender, clever fingers made quick work of the fastenings on his pants and slid down inside the loose lip of his boxers to wrap around his hard, ready sex. The strength of Bunny's grip made him wince a little, breathlessly reminding him to be careful. Kotetsu tossed his shirt down and quickly pulled his undershirt over his head, stepping back to ease his partner's hold on him.

Perceiving a threat to his desire, Bunny sharply said, "Give me what I want!"

"I will, I will," Kotetsu soothed, taking both of the younger man's wrists in his hands and pushing him backwards to the bed. "Let's get you undressed, Bunny, okay?"

"Undress..."

_That_ clicked, and Kotetsu watched in astounded, uncomfortable silence as Barnaby efficiently shed his shoes, socks, pants, and boxer briefs in under a minute.

The sight of his partner's naked body incited such a merciless hunger in him that Kotetsu had to look away. He busied himself retrieving Barnaby's discarded clothes and putting them in the chair, shocked by how quickly such a perfect male body could become part of his tastes, though he briefly considered that it might be limited to Bunny...

Carefully manicured nails danced down the slope of his naked back and scratched light lines over his hips, making him jump as Barnaby fit tightly to him from behind and curled his hot, wet tongue into Kotetsu's ear.

"Give me what I want," the young man breathed, tightening his embrace when Kotetsu jumped a little in surprise.

"Ah, Bunny, just..." his words ended on a gasp as his partner sharply slid both hands down his hips, raking both his pants and boxers down in one rapid, determined movement that caught painfully on his hard sex. "_Hey! Slow down!_ Slow down, Bunny, I don't even have my shoes off, yet!"

He squirmed around and distracted his partner with another long, searching kiss, working his shoes off one at a time, stepping on the toes of his socks to drag them off while he was at it. His pants slithered down around his knees so he just stepped out of them, walking Bunny back against the foot of the bed.

"Wait," he ordered, pressing his hands to Barnaby's broad shoulders. "Sit down, okay? Lay back."

With a languid blink, his partner dropped gracefully to the bed and lay back with his long legs dangling at the knee and his elegant toes brushing the floor. His muscular, perfectly sculpted arms folded and crossed at the wrists above his head and he gazed at Kotetsu with a kind of expectant patience that implied something else usually happened about now.

Kotetsu looked at the practiced pose, at those crossed wrists, and figured he could probably guess just what.

"I'm not going to do anything like that, Bunny," he said, kneeling there between his two perfect, spread knees and running his calloused palms up Barnaby's corded calves. "Be patient, okay? Slowly."

"Slowly," Bunny breathed, blinking.

Kotetsu closed his eyes and pressed his face against the inside of Bunny's knee, breathing in the warm scent of his skin until he knew he'd always remember it. He laid tickling kisses down one muscular calf then the other, testing the backs of Barnaby's knees and getting involuntary, reflexive twitching that told him he'd found one of his partner's sensitive spots.

"There isn't a hair on you anywhere, Bunny," he noted, dragging his teeth softly up the inside of his partner's powerful thigh, tracing the stark outlines of muscle and enviously sighing, "With legs like this it's no wonder you specialize in kicks."

Kotetsu pushed Bunny's legs further apart, tracing the crease of his groin with light, grazing fingertips that made his partner moan a little, writhing restlessly. The long, strutted length of Barnaby's sex bounced lightly against the hard plane of his lower belly, the head flushed a deeper pink that was stark against the paleness of his stomach.

"Not even here," Kotetsu murmured, brushing his knuckles over the taut, tight, hairless bulge of Barnaby's balls, wondering how they could take such abuse when they were so delicate and sensitive. He bent his head and tentatively touched the tip of his tongue where his knuckles had just touched so lightly. He wasn't sure he could actually manage to do any of this to the degree he'd decided on, and he kept expecting himself to balk, to realize that for all of his beauty and appeal Bunny wasn't a woman and wasn't what Kotetsu wanted.

But it never happened. Instead of recoiling and losing this awful desire, each touch and kiss only stoked a further fire within him to know more and more about the body writhing in his hands. Curiosity overcame apprehension and he opened his eyes, emboldened enough to suck that soft pink skin into his mouth and tease it with his tongue.

Bunny groaned loudly, his long back arching, his cock bouncing hard and falling to hit his belly with a wet slap. Kotetsu had to squeeze his eyes closed for a long moment, dropping his mouth to catch his breath, fearful for a second that just the sight of such a strong reaction would send him to the cusp. He willed that sharp stab of arousal to subside, idly stroking Bunny's long thigh.

"You sure are something, Bunny," he said, his voice unsteady. He reared up between his partner's spread legs and slid up over him, shivering at the touch of all that silky flesh beneath him. He was like a starving man suddenly seated at a banquet, aching for the touch of another person, thirsty for their kisses, ravenous for their touches. He'd thought himself past this lonely hunger for someone to hold, but realized that it had never gone away. He'd merely stored it all up until it had slowly started to suffocate him.

He lowered himself down half atop Bunny, fitting himself to tightly to the younger man's side that there was hardly any room between them. He barely had a chance to stop moving before Barnaby's mouth found his, before those arms dropped to wrap around him, crushing him close to a chest like a warm, stone wall.

Bunny twisted onto his side, hooking his heel over Kotetsu's to drag him closer, one arm folded behind the older man's shoulders, his other hand roaming down Kotetsu's lean side to his flank.

"Bunny, Bunny, is this what you want?" he whispered, gasping a little when the urging push of Barnaby's hips rubbed the young man's heated erection against his own. The only answer he got was a renewed devouring of his mouth accompanied by soft, throaty moans. Barnaby's hand drifted to his head and clenched in his hair, forcing a harder kiss, as if roughness was all he knew.

Kotetsu lightly stroked one palm over his partner's chest, over the pounding thunder of his heart, shaping the curve of muscle so that his fingers brushed the tight nub of Bunny's nipple. The younger man groaned and pushed against him, moaning into his mouth, "Give me what I want!"

The heat and hardness of Barnaby's rigid cock did more for Kotetsu than he'd ever dared dream. He reached down and cupped it, breathlessly whispering, "You're leaking all over me, Bunny..."

He got a rather spirited bite to his lower lip for his trouble, and yelped when he tasted salty blood.

"Give me what I want!"

Apparently, a handjob wasn't going to do the trick this time around, as Kotetsu had half-hoped. He snapped his head back out of reflex and lost a few strands of hair to Bunny's ring. He winced at the painful bite and watched in bewilderment as his partner suddenly coiled away from him.

"Bunny...?"

Kotetsu was momentarily speechless with mingled surprise and arousal when he saw the slim young man turn on his knees, drop on his elbows, and present his improbably perfect backside.

"Give me what I want," he said, hands fisting in the blankets at the foot of the bed.

"Bunny," Kotetsu said again, recovering a little, though it was such a sight that he knew it would be permanently branded into his brain and most likely inspire some hard-to-control responses. Carefully, he slipped up behind the younger man and touched the small of his back, stroking the soft skin stretched taut over hard muscle. A glance at the recorder in the far corner showed him that it was still tracking them, and for a moment he wished he hadn't set it up to do that, because he was certain his partner was going to murder him for this.

Then he looked down the long length of Bunny's back to his wide shoulders, his slender neck, and the tousled blond curls tumbling around his bent head, and Kotetsu had the utterly surprising thought that it would still be worth it.

He spread his hands over Bunny's slim hips, thinking that the young man did have a rather womanly backside, round and firm and tucking into his hips in a curve that begged for soft kisses. He wished he had more time to do so. He wished that Barnaby was awake and aware and actually _wanted_ Kotetsu to touch him. He wished this was a shared, tender experience they could both keep and treasure, but the ugly truth was that he, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, was no better than the Next who'd been abusing the young man currently wriggling in his bed.

"I'm sorry, Bunny," he whispered, but even his shame didn't stop him. He leaned over Barnaby's yielding body and told him, "Here, suck on my fingers."

There was immediate compliance, Bunny's mouth working to coat his fingers in saliva. It wasn't enough to make things easy, but it was a start. The young man made a desperate, gasping sound whenever Kotetsu eased his fingers inside the tight ring of his ass, but instead of tightening, he tipped his hips up and utterly relaxed.

"Sh, there, there, Bunny," Kotetsu soothed, amazed that such a small hole could accommodate a hard male body when he had difficulty even getting two fingers in. He used his other hand to gather up the precum dribbling from Barnaby's twitching sex and used it to slick himself, hoping it was enough to gain him entry.

Heart pounding, suddenly trembling with nerves, Kotetsu gently eased the eager, swollen head of his cock against his partner's resistant entrance.

"_Ah_! _Give me what I want_!" Barnaby loudly moaned, pushing back against him.

"_Damn it, Bunny_!" Kotetsu hissed through clenched teeth, shuddering hard when the young man's sudden push sank him halfway into all that tight heat. His eyes fluttered closed and his hips arched without him intending them to, easily burying him to the balls inside of Barnaby's squeezing, rocking body. "Bunny, _ah_! H...hold on! Slowly!"

"Slowly!" his partner gasped, echoing him without comprehending, urgently pushing back into Kotetsu's body until he hit firm resistance. Rapidly pumping his hips, he growled, "_Give me what I want_!"

"Sh, Bunny, slowly, I said!" Kotetsu said, resisting the urge to plant a smack to that perfect backside, mostly because he knew it still wouldn't make Bunny mind what he was saying. "You're going to hurt yourself, damn it!"

Judging from the way his partner was currently wriggling against him, _hurt_ was the last thing he was feeling.

"Ah, damn it, Bunny, stop making those noises!" Kotetsu breathed, opening his eyes and taking a deep breath in a vain attempt to gain a measure of control. His hands had fallen to Barnaby's hips and clenched there, holding him as still as possible. The impossibly delicious squeeze of that slender body around him rapidly drove Kotetsu to the brink, starved for it as he was. Forcing himself to breathe slowly, he firmly held Bunny's wriggling hips still and pulled back to angle a slow, deep thrust.

Barnaby uttered a soft, satisfied moan and shuddered, flattening against the bed with his hips in the air, his voice muffled by the covers, his head turned so that one feverishly bright, empty green eye watched Kotetsu working him from behind.

Kotetsu wasn't sure exactly what part of this felt so good to his partner, but having seen Bunny cum before just riding on his hard cock, he was pretty sure he could work something out.

"Show me what helps, Bunny," he said, his voice tight with tension, and prayed he'd last as he started a slow, deep rhythm that threatened any second to make him erupt. He felt like a fifteen year old kid again, so raw with sensation that he couldn't be trusted to last, so excited by the vision before him that he might not be able to do his partner justice.

Bunny moaned softly, compliant in his grip, his slight, hissing breaths and the startled tightening of his body telling Kotetsu how to angle his hips. He knew he had it right when Barnaby nearly broke his grip rearing up off the bed, startling the older man into holding him still.

"_Give it to me!_" the younger man brokenly cried, teeth clenching.

"There? That's the spot?" Kotetsu asked, moving swiftly to avoid hurting his partner whenever Barnaby suddenly pushed back and toppled the pair of them. The full weight of him landed squarely on Kotetsu's groin, forcing a strangled moan from him. In the split second his grip eased, Bunny shifted his legs down, now straddling him so that Kotetsu still had an unhindered view of his strong back and perfect ass.

"Bunny, wait," he begged, gasping when his partner started rocking atop him, squeezing up as if milking the hard heat pushed so deeply inside of him. He latched onto the younger man's hard hips and matched the frantic, grinding pace he'd set.

"Ah! _Ah_! Give it to me!" Bunny moaned, arching backwards while riding him furiously, his sweaty curls bouncing in time with his hips. He reached back and latched onto Kotetsu's forearms as if warning him not to let go.

Struggling to find the angle Bunny had liked, fighting to keep himself in hand until the younger man had gotten off, Kotetsu found a matching rhythm that seemed to really do it for both of them, that deep ache starting in his gut that warned him a massive orgasm was looming. He wished he could see Bunny like he had last time, see that perfect cock of his bouncing in empty air as he came.

"_Damn it_!" Kotetsu hissed, eyes rolling up as he came, pushed over the edge by the squeezing friction of Barnaby's tight body and the memory of the young man coming on his stomach.

Barnaby cried out sharply and fell into a series of shudders, all rhythm lost to pleasure as he came.

"Bunny," Kotetsu moaned, catching his breath sharply at the pressure of that body milking his sensitive, spent cock. "Ah, Bunny! I don't think I can..."

Barnaby shoved hard against him with a final, keening moan, forcing a painfully delicious second climax from the older man, leaving them both breathless and undone.

"A...are you okay?" Kotetsu managed to say, smoothing his hands over Bunny's hips and spreading his fingers up the younger man's tight back in a soothing motion. "Bunny, are you okay?"

Predictably, Bunny reared up on his knees, releasing Kotetsu's softening sex in a gush of cum, and swiftly exited the bed.

Steeling himself for one hell of a battle, Kotetsu rolled out of bed and blocked the stairwell, hoping that he could survive whatever frantic efforts his partner's programming would provide.


	9. Awakening

It was with a kind of dismayed awe that Kotetsu - nearly naked except for the boxers he'd managed to scramble into - watched his mindless partner cast around the room. Apparently, it was easier for Stranger Bunny to dress in gym clothes that only had to be stepped into. If he had a full wardrobe to put on, it was more difficult to handle on autopilot.

He debated over ordering Barnaby to go ahead and get dressed, which would probably save him a lot of pain when the young man finally woke up, or keeping him in just his undies so he could sleep comfortably. Figuring Barnaby wouldn't appreciate waking naked, he went ahead and told him, "Your clothes are on the chair, Barnaby. Get dressed."

"Clothes..."

Again he watched the eerie routine of his partner getting dressed, dimly recognizing that he did it precisely the same way as he had in the locker room, down to which sock went on first. When he was finished, he straightened and came for Kotetsu, who was blocking the stairs.

"I want you to stay here, Bunny," he said, wondering if anything like that would work. He doubted it, doubted that whoever had done this to him would be able to keep him around for longer than a few hours, but it was worth a try.

"I have to go," Bunny blankly said. "I have to go."

"No, I want you to stay here, Barnaby," he said more firmly, bracing for the younger man to come at him.

"I have to go..."

Latching onto his shoulder with a grip like a vise, Barnaby tried dragging him away from the stairway, and it was only by virtue of his own ability that Kotetsu was able to stay in place.

"_I have to go_!" Bunny said, a thread of panic in his voice, bringing it out of that low Stranger Bunny purr into something more like his real voice. "_I have to go_!"

"You're staying here!" Kotetsu said, gritting his teeth as he resisted the demanding tugs of his partner's hands. He didn't want to hurt Barnaby, so he was as careful as he could manage, but he did intend to keep him from leaving the house and did what he had to do to that effect.

The only problem was that Barnaby was as relentless as the tide - untiring and determined, the young man tried over and over to get to the stairs, his smooth brow knitting with consternation as if the situation didn't match any of his programing. Perhaps that Next, knowing that Bunny was likely to run into someone, had edited out violence? He certainly didn't move to activate his Hundred Power, which he was perfectly able to do now. He wasn't even a portion as violent as he'd been in the gym while demanding sex. Was that Next the kind of person who could withstand that kind of force easily in the heat of the moment, but wanted Barnaby docile afterward? Kotetsu wound up with more questions than answers, but he was glad that his partner didn't resort to terrible violence in order to enact his escape. It was hard enough to just keep him from making too much headway, and despite his efforts they wound up halfway down the risers and dangerously unbalanced before Barnaby suddenly stopped fighting him altogether.

Kotetsu cautiously stayed braced, glad that Bunny hadn't figured out that he could jump down from this height already. Strangely, his partner reached into his pants pocket and got his phone out.

"Er, Bunny? What are you doing?" Calling for help, maybe? Calling the Next for instructions? What was he set to do when he was stymied? Or was there even a contingency plan for such a thing?

Bunny tapped his phone and for a brief moment Kotetsu saw a flash of white light reflected in his glassy green eyes.

"Bunny? What was that?" he asked in alarm, plucking the phone from his limp fingers. He tried to see if Bunny had called someone, but it looked like all he'd done was play a pre-recorded video of nothing but white light. It was as bizarre as it was incomprehensible, even moreso whenever his partner abruptly said, "Go to bed. Get some rest..."

"Eh? Er..."

Bewildered and surprised, Kotetsu watched the slender young man turn right around and go back up the stairs to the landing, where he promptly started to strip.

"Hey! Bunny! Wait!" he called, alarmed. "Damn it, Bunny! You're going to be so angry when you wake up!"

"Go to bed. Get some rest..."

No direct phrase Kotetsu could come up with made a bit of difference. Apparently by this stage of things, the Next was well out of the picture and his partner was on autopilot. He racked his brain to recall how much time had passed in between Barnaby dressing and the sudden switch on the stairs, wondering if it signified roughly the amount of time it would take Bunny to get from his abuser's house to his own, but he'd stupidly not taken note of it. Luckily for him, it would be recorded on the security system with timestamps.

Barnaby shed all of his clothes down to his boxer briefs, flung back the sheets on Kotetsu's bed, and promptly inserted himself beneath them.

"Bunny?"

The moment the young man's curly head hit the pillow, his green eyes closed and he went right to sleep.

"Wh...what the hell?" Flabbergasted, Kotetsu plopped down on the bed's foot next to Bunny's long feet and dropped his head into his hands, his elbows on his knees. "Just what in the hell was that?"

Whatever it was, his partner was out for an unspecified amount of time, and Kotetsu wasn't about to wake him anytime too soon. Sighing a little, the weary man shoved to his feet and retrieved Barnaby's clothes once more, folding them neatly into the chair with his boots beneath and his phone atop his jacket. Deciding prudence was the better part of valor for what was to come, Kotetsu got fully dressed in his usual around-the-house clothes, nabbed a pillow from the bed, and went downstairs to the couch, too concerned and nervous to consider doing anything other than fretfully trying to sleep.

* * *

Kotetsu woke up when he heard an unusual sound - the sound of someone rustling around in his bed. Groggy, he rolled off of the couch, idly seeing that it was nearly eight in the morning already, though he'd only managed to fall asleep a few hours ago. He'd been up and down the stairs at least twenty times over the course of the night checking on his partner, but Bunny had remained in the same position the entire night - curled on his side with his hand tucked beneath the pillow in a pose of utter relaxation.

Anxious to see if Barnaby was finally awake, he took the risers two at a time and hit the landing about the time that the young man was sitting up.

"Hey...Bunny..." he trailed off, all of his good intentions fleeing in the face of actually having to have this out with his partner.

"Ah, my head - Old Man?" Bunny asked, incredulous. He squinted in Kotetsu's direction, prompting the older man to say, "Your glasses are behind you, on the shelf."

Bunny groped for them, found them, and slipped them on, staring around in astonishment at the unfamiliar room.

Kotetsu stayed silent, not sure now what to say or how to start.

Strangely, Barnaby took a deep, steadying breath and calmly asked, "Why am I naked in what I assume is your bed?"

"Er...you're wearing boxers -"

"_Answer me_!" The barely suppressed rage in that tight young voice made Kotetsu start a little, increasingly worried that this was going to go as badly as anything he ever did.

"What do you remember?"

"_Where are my clothes_?"

Kotetsu pointed at the chair and said, "I'll wait for you downstairs."

"_Don't bother_," Barnaby hissed, flinging off the sheets and coming out of Kotetsu's bed like a man with murder on his mind, which was probably the case. "I won't be staying. You have exactly thirty seconds to explain this situation before I call an ambulance."

"But, Bunny, you aren't hurt - "

"_I meant for you_!" the young man flared, jerking his clothing on with such anger that the seams groaned in complaint.

"I said you were sick! Didn't I tell you that last night?" Kotetsu desperately said, his hands up to ward of potential attack.

"You said you wanted me over for dinner," Barnaby said, glaring at him as he sat down to shove his long feet into his boots. "_What on earth did you do to me_?"

It was, to Kotetsu, an odd reaction despite the circumstances. He'd passed out at Antonio's house before and woken up in weird places while his friend took the couch. It was strange to him that Bunny made an immediate leap that something more personal had happened than him just having too much to drink and passing out.

"What do you remember?" he asked again, and from the way his partner tossed his head, it must've been _something_.

"You invited me in, you _kneed me_ in the groin!" Barnaby snarled, incensed.

"And then what?" Kotetsu grimly asked, searching that angry young face as Barnaby desperately tried to come up with an answer. "You don't remember anything?"

"_No_," Bunny said, standing up and jerking his jacket up over his admirable shoulders. "What did you do, drug me? What on _earth_ are you thinking, Old Man? Did you really think I'd wake up and be okay with finding myself in your bed?!"

"Bunny, something is seriously wrong with you," Kotetsu said, the somberness of his voice somehow reaching his partner when pleas and explanations had failed. "When I hit you like that, it acts as some kind of...trigger. You change, Bunny. You turn into someone else and I had to keep you here to prove it to you, because when I try to explain, you don't believe me."

"I don't believe you _now_!" Barnaby tightly informed him, fuming. "You're spouting absolute _nonsense_ to cover up a mistake you've made!"

"Bunny, please, I have proof, please listen to me," Kotetsu begged, wondering if this staunch denial was also a part of his programming. "Bunny, some awful person has done something to you, has programmed you to respond a..._certain way_ to being hit like that. You go through an entire routine of things without even knowing it, and later on you wake up thinking you've had a migraine..."

Bunny just stared at him with huge, angry, accusing eyes.

"I...I'm assuming that if you woke up at home without any reminders, you'd think nothing had happened," Kotetsu lamely answered, and saw a shadow of something cross his partner's tense, angry face. "There wasn't any other way to convince you it's true, so I...I hit your trigger last night and...got it all on a recorder."

He saw Bunny's head tip back in what was a standard pose of absolutely disbelieving affront, and hastened to say, "You've got to believe me, Bunny! At least watch, okay? At least see that I'm not lying!"

"Fine," Barnaby ground out, his mouth tight and his fists clenched. "But I warn you now, Old Man, if there isn't a good reason for me waking up like this, I won't be held responsible for the result."

"I understand," Kotetsu quietly agreed, realizing that if he showed Bunny the entirety of that recording, the young man would most likely just kill him. He'd been his usual naive self in thinking that Bunny would interpret his actions last night as being careful with his body. No, his partner would see Kotetsu taking advantage of him to the fullest.

His partner would see exactly the ugly, shameful _truth_.

"Please, Bunny, when you see it, try to understand that I did the best I knew how..."

"Considering that's your explanation for everything you've ever managed to make a mess of," Barnaby ground out, glaring at him. "I expect I'm not going to like what I'm about to see."

Deciding that sooner was better than later, Kotetsu led the way downstairs and flipped the television onto the correct source for the recorder. He'd cued the clip back to when the pair of them had first come in, and retreated to stand a fair distance away from Barnaby, who'd refused to sit at all. Instead, the young man stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest in an unconsciously guarded gesture, his sharp green eyes narrowed and focused on the small television screen as the audio kicked in.

Kotetsu sensed the moment that Barnaby's disbelief gave way to shock, watching himself rise from a hit that should've downed him and making that demand in a completely alien voice.

_"I'll try to be nice to you, Bunny, okay? I'll be careful with you, I promise. I don't know what that other person does to you, but I'll be really careful, okay? Please don't hate me too much..."_

"What is this?" Barnaby softly asked, watching himself give Kotetsu his car keys before obediently mounting the stairs. "Why did I do that? Why did you send me to your bed, Old Man?"

The hysteria that tinged that last question prompted Kotetsu to stop the recording and move to get rid of it, abandoning the entire plan. Bunny knew it happened, now, they could figure things out without him having the know the truth - that not only was some stranger taking advantage of him and, perhaps, even sharing him with other strangers, but his own partner had been just as criminal in the same way.

"What are you doing?!" Barnaby asked, as angry as he was horrified. "_I want to see what you did to me_!"

"No, Bunny, you don't," Kotetsu said, shaking his head. "It's what your trigger does. It makes you want certain things - "

"_What things_?" Barnaby demanded, snatching the remote out of his hand and hitting the play button.

Ashamed, Kotetsu retreated to give him room, averting his gaze so that Barnaby could have some semblance of privacy while seeing what a selfish old man had done to him.

Bunny didn't watch it much past taking his clothes off. He clicked the television off, silently strode over to the playback machine, yanked the clip out of its slot, and lowered his curly head for a long, tense moment.

"You knew that hitting me that way would make me..." Kotetsu actually hurt on his behalf as Bunny struggled to find a euphemism that would suit. He finally settled on, "_Want_ certain things."

"Ah...yeah," Kotetsu answered, unsure if he should add more.

"So you knew that when it happens, I'm...not aware?" Barnaby asked, a dangerous tremble in his taut voice.

"Yeah..."

Barnaby's fingers rose to grip the playback machine so hard that Kotetsu heard the casing crack.

"So instead of trying to reason with me or explain anything, instead of locking me in the bathroom until I got my sense back..."

Bunny lifted his head and pinned Kotetsu with his furious, wide green eyes.

"You just decided _to take advantage of me_?"

Kotetsu didn't know what happened until pain exploded along the left side of his jaw and he found himself staring up at the ceiling with blood filling his mouth and Barnaby standing over him with every intention to hit him again.

"_How dare you do something like that to me_?!" the young man raged, angry tears in his eyes, hectic color staining his high cheeks. "_How dare you take advantage of me that way?! What kind of hero does something like this to a person who doesn't know what's going on_?!"

Kotetsu didn't try to defend himself. He stared up at his partner, ready to bear the brunt of his justified anger.

"I'm sorry, Bunny," he said, and all of his reasons sounded like the lies they were. What he'd tried to accomplish by being so careful was, in reality, just an ugly assault on a mindless young man who deserved far better than he'd ever gotten. "I just didn't want you to see - "

"_Shut up_!" Barnaby shouted, trembling with barely restrained rage. He bent suddenly, ripping out first the left, then the right pocket of Kotetsu's pants, panting, "_Where are my keys_?"

"They're on the table, Bunny, over there," the man answered, pointing, his jaw rapidly swelling. "Bunny - "

"_I said to shut up_!" Barnaby said, stalking to the table to retrieve his keys and heading for the door. "You only have yourself to blame for what happens next!"

Wrenching the door open so hard that he tore the locks clear through the wood, Barnaby strode out of the house in a mire of fury, indignation, and justifiable horror.

And all Kotetsu could do was lie on the floor with three teeth loose on the left side, silently thinking that it hadn't been enough by far to pay for what he'd done.


	10. Switch

Barnaby drove home in a red haze of fury, so grossly outraged by what that perverted old man had done to him that he could barely see straight. He was horrified that something like this had happened to him, that he'd fallen victim to an assault without even being _aware_ of it. He dwelled on the anger it provoked in order to fend off other emotions that threatened - disgust with himself, guilt, and even fear. He didn't let himself think further than his overwhelming fury with Kotetsu, because he wasn't yet ready to deal with the fact that someone else he probably knew had been controlling him somehow and doing similar unspeakable things to him...

He couldn't undress fast enough, peeling things off the second he hit the door and going straight for the bathroom to shower. It was only once the superheated water was pouring over him that he allowed the smallest weakness for himself, knowing it was silly to think that the water would hide his tears when there was never anyone around to see them.

No amount of soap or heat helped make him feel clean again, but time in the shower did settle his mind on one glaring fact - he could no longer work with that man, not by any stretch of the imagination. He didn't want to see him, hear him, _smell_ him, _anything_. He wanted Kotetsu T. Kaburagi _gone_ and he wanted it done immediately.

And he knew all he had to do was ask.

Latching onto the thought like it was a lifeline, he quickly dressed, retrieved the horrific recording that awful man had made, and went straight to work in the same kind of haze he'd come home in.

Mister Lloyds was in his office when Barnaby burst in, his annoyed expression melting into one of fawning delight.

"Ah! Barnaby! There you are! I just got off the phone with Tiger and you'll be solo today - "

"And every day after, I want that man fired!" Barnaby spat out, trembling with the force of his anger and nerves.

Lloyds gaped at him, astounded.

"_I want him fired_!" Barnaby tightly repeated, trying and failing to remain calm.

"Er...well, I know I threatened to let him go, but really," Lloyds stammered, nervously clasping his hands together. "If I _fire_ him, he'd likely bring assault charges against you - "

"_Assault charges against _me?!" Barnaby snarled, livid. "_Do you have any idea what that man just did to me_?"

"Ah, no, he isn't trying to blackmail you, is he?" Lloyds asked, concerned.

"Blackmail me for _what reason_?!" Barnaby asked, appalled and thinking that Lloyds was a good deal more stupid than he'd first imagined. What on earth was he not conveying correctly, here? He wanted that disgusting man out of his life in every plausible way! It wasn't too much to ask.

"Er, well, for that assault in the gym," Lloyds said, his tone apologetic.

_'Well...I mean...what happened in the gym - _'

Good God, surely Kotetsu hadn't done something similar to him days ago, had he?

Momentarily distracted by the upsetting thought that last night was just the most recent in a long string of incidents, Barnaby impatiently asked, "What on earth are you talking about? That man is a deviant and I want him fired!"

"Now, Mister Barnaby, please just calm down," Lloyds said, nervously trying to soothe him. "What exactly does he want from you? Maybe if we cover his damage fines, he'll go quietly and not file any charges - "

"Excuse me," Barnaby tightly broke in, so angry he had to very carefully put his hands in his jacket pockets to keep from doing anything regrettable. "Are you implying that I owe that man something? That _he_ is in a position to file assault charges on _me_?"

Lloyds shifted uncomfortably in his chair, admitting, "Well, I didn't watch the tape that Mister Saito sent me, but he was certain that Tiger was the victim of an...an _incident_ with you as the aggressor..."

'_Give me what I want_...'

Barnaby gaped at him, shocked, almost laughing at how utterly, stupidly ridiculous this whole thing was. _He_ had assaulted the _old man_?! It was so outlandish it couldn't possibly be true.

"I want to see it for myself," he said, focusing enough to get that out. He'd watch this supposed assault and see just who was in the wrong, here. If it had gone anything _remotely_ like what he'd seen this morning, then not only would Kotetsu T. Kaburagi be out of a job, he'd be in a prison for the next decade, longer if Barnaby could manage it quietly.

"You'll have to ask Mister Saito," Lloyds said. "Unfortunately, I gave the copy to Tiger thinking he was going to destroy it. I never imagined he'd be devious enough to use it to blackmail you. I'll see if we can discredit him somehow if we can't pay him to go away. At any rate, Barnaby, if you're wanting...er..._companionship_, there are more discreet people available and any number of public personalities who would gladly date you - "

"I want nothing of the sort!" Barnaby flared, annoying with his continued prattling. "I'm going to see Mister Saito. I'll return to discuss the details of cutting Tiger from the show when I'm done."

He slammed out of Lloyds' office, cutting off the man's simpering agreement, and made his determined, angry way to Mister Saito's lab.

The diminutive man greeted him affably enough, but abruptly sobered whenever Barnaby asked him for a copy of what happened in the gym.

"I don't even know when it _was_, two or three days ago?" he explained, at his wits' end. "I don't know what you thought you saw, Mister Saito, but I assure you that I have never had and never _will_ have either the inclination or desire to have _any kind of sex_ with that man! If there's the possibility that he's going to file charges on me, shouldn't I at least have an idea of _why_?"

Saito gazed at him solemnly and whispered, "_He said you didn't remember. Is it really true, then? Is there a Next controlling you somehow_?"

Barnaby took a deep, steadying breath, slowly counted to ten, and managed to say in a calm, reasonable voice, "I'm not sure what's happening, all I know is that right now I have more reasons to want to murder that man than I have reasons _not_ to. Show me the tape, please."

Frowning, Saito called the tape up, hopped down from his chair, and whispered, "_Come get me when you're done. I'd rather not be here for this_."

Still fuming, Barnaby tilted the screen up so he wouldn't have to sit down, and allowed the tape to play.

* * *

In under a minute, he was no longer fuming.

He watched the Old Man's clumsy nature kick in, watched him fall in a way that made Barnaby wince and unconsciously shield himself, even though the event was over. With growing incredulity, he watched himself latch onto that man's arm, heard a voice come out of his mouth that wasn't his own, demanding to get what he wanted.

"Oh my god," he breathed, dropping into the chair because his knees threatened to buckle. That couldn't be him doing that, ripping Kotetsu's clothes off of him, repeatedly knocking him back when he tried to get away. It surely wasn't his hand that left bruises on that man's panicked face, wasn't his mouth that forced those kisses.

'_Bunny, this isn't right for you_!'

Damning.

'_If it isn't really you, Bunny, this isn't right_!'

Every moment of it was damning.

The longer the tape played, the further he scrunched into the chair, aghast at what he was seeing, at what he was hearing, at the flat panic in Kotetsu's voice as the man tried to persuade him to stop, '_Bunny, please, you don't want this_...'

The angle was, thankfully, not as good when he finally stripped the older man of his shorts against the locker room door, but it didn't prevent Barnaby from seeing that _he_ was the one who forced Kotetsu inside of himself and rode the man's struggling body with such roughness that the sounds were loud even so far away.

And then, when he'd gotten what he wanted...

'_Bunny...are you okay? Did I hurt you?_'

...that stranger with his face got up, dressed himself, collected his things, and left the Old Man laying in the floor without a backwards glance.

'_Say...are you mad at me, still_?'

He didn't want to feel like the tables had turned because they _hadn't_, but that didn't stop the guilt from spreading. He'd physically hurt Kotetsu in that exchange, he'd seen as much by the bruises the Old Man's clothes had hidden from him. It didn't make what had happened last night any less awful, it only added to how bad he felt.

Trembling, he went out into the hallway where Mister Saito was waiting and asked in a soft, unsteady voice, "What did he say to you about this?"

Saito took a long moment to consider before he whispered, "_He wanted it erased because you weren't yourself. I told him I wouldn't do it because it's still an assault, whatever the circumstances_."

Barnaby blanched, feeling as if he might be ill.

"_Tiger insisted I at least put a password on it so that no one could accidentally see it and damage your reputation. He was hoping to fix whatever had happened to you without you ever finding out about any of it_," Saito told him. "_I don't know what's happening, Mister Barnaby, but please get to the bottom of this, even if you don't want his help_."

"Why would I want that man's help?" Barnaby asked, closing his eyes for a moment just to gather his thoughts. Kotetsu's help...what a joke! Everything that man touched became -

He flinched, absently rubbing his hands on his thighs as if he'd touched something dirty, but the dirt was all over both of them, wasn't it?

"Please excuse me, Mister Saito," he breathed, detouring for the nearest restroom to wash his face and paw cold water through his bangs to cool his upset. He rinsed his mouth out and drank several swallows to overcome the urge to be sick, wondering how on earth things had managed to end up this way.

It helped to distance himself a little, to make a list of his options and what could be done. Considering that he had done something just as awful to the Old Man made getting rid of him less of a possibility. Barnaby still adamantly didn't want to be anywhere near him, but as long as Kotetsu would keep his distance, they could find a way to work together for the sake of the camera.

'_He's the only one besides Mister Saito who knows what's going on with me_,' Barnaby thought, looking at his troubled reflection as if answers were hidden in the water droplets trailing down his face. '_Mister Saito wouldn't be able to help as well as someone right next to me all the damned time. If Tiger was to be allowed to come back, then maybe we could find out who did this to me. He said that was his intention..._'

His fists clenched again with anger to think of how Kotetsu's _intentions_ had fallen out, but Barnaby was willing to call them even on that count, even if what he really wanted to do was beat him to a bloody pulp.

The thought got him upset all over again, and it took him a good long while to get himself back under control enough to return to Mister Lloyd's office. The man looked harried and on his last string, but still managed to summon a simpering smile for Hero TV's star rookie.

"Mister Barnaby! I have some good news," he said, rifling through his papers while speaking. "I spoke with our legal department and I think we can come to some kind of solution, especially since Tiger has agreed to go quietly - "

"What?" Barnaby asked, surprised. Considering Kotetsu's adamant dedication to being a hero, he really had expected to have another fight on his hands.

"I contacted him after you left and he agreed to leave quietly," Lloyds repeated. "He _did_ mention that he'd destroyed the clip when I asked him to return it, though. But who knows if he's telling the truth on that count. I'm sure Mister Maverick can manage that end of things if it comes up - "

"He'll go?" Barnaby asked, disbelieving. "Just like that?"

"He didn't so much as ask why," Lloyds gloated. "It isn't as if he has a choice, does he? I thought he could have at least kept his mouth shut long enough to benefit from your popularity, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

"Wait, Mister Lloyds, are you saying that you asked him to keep quiet when he came to you about that clip?" Barnaby asked, his anger finding a new outlet. It wasn't the specific instance he was upset about, but the idea that any employee of the company he worked for would be told to _shut_ _up_ when they reported an incident of such magnitude.

"Well of course I did!" Lloyds said, indignant. "It was in everyone's best interests to not blow things out of proportion! Tiger said he understood the risk it posed to your reputation and agreed to destroy the clip."

'_Old Man, what on earth are you doing_?'

'_Getting rid of something dangerous_.'

"He did destroy it," Barnaby absently said, recalling how frantic the Old Man had been to dig that data clip out and take a lighter to it. He hadn't even taken off more than his arm pieces to do so, he was in such a hurry. Barnaby remembered how annoyed he'd been that Kotetsu hadn't told him what was on it, how he'd felt as if the older man was patronizing him when he'd said it was nothing important to Barnaby, it was just something he never wanted anyone to see.

No one. Ever.

"He burned it and got rid of it, I saw him do it," Barnaby said, frowning to recall the fight they'd had right afterward, how Kotetsu had shouted at him to stay back because he was being clumsy that day...

"Damn it," Barnaby breathed, realizing he'd had another migraine that night, and that his memories of coming home after changing, eating a light dinner, and going to bed after having a bath were probably just a mixture of reality and alteration.

"Mister Barnaby?" Lloyds inquired, concerned. "Are you alright? Please rest assured that this won't be allowed to impact your reputation. Tiger is such a disgrace as a hero that it will hardly be difficult to completely discredit him - "

"Please don't take any further legal action against him," Barnaby said, tiredly rubbing his forehead. "He'll be back to work tomorrow, I'll see to it. Let's just let things continue as they were."

Lloyds' concern notched ten degrees higher, evident in the pitch of his voice when he asked, "Are you certain that's okay? Clearly this man can't be trusted - "

"Please do as I say," Barnaby quietly said. "This issue between the two of us will be kept out of our work lives, I can promise you that."

"Mister Barnaby, sir...Perhaps you should speak to Mister Maverick before reversing this decision?"

"I don't think he needs to know anything about any of this," Barnaby said, quietly burning with shame that his adoptive father might ever find out what he'd done to Tiger, or what the Old Man had done to him. "Don't bother calling Tiger, I'll deal with him myself."

Lloyds looked on the verge of apoplexy at _that_ statement, and Barnaby flushed when he realized what the man was probably thinking. Controlling his bitter anger with difficulty, he said, "I don't intend to work him over like that again, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, I...I...you...No, it's none of my business," Lloyds stammered, hastening to find something else to occupy his attention. "Work it out between you however you have to, just keep your public personas in mind."

Thoroughly annoyed and disgusted, Barnaby finally made it to the office he shared with the Old Man and Mrs. Norris, the catch-all accountant cum secretary.

"Didn't think you'd be here either," she commented, her impersonal brown eyes landing on him the minute he walked through the door. "Tiger called in."

"I heard," Barnaby said, blushing despite himself. He took a seat at his desk and prayed a Call would come in, not because he wanted more points, but just so he wouldn't have to sit in this silence and pretend to do paperwork while his brain busily picked at his scabs. He felt just as dirty and used from seeing that clip as he had when he'd seen the one at the Old Man's place. He had no idea what on earth Kotetsu had been thinking, other than that he had a chance to willfully taking advantage of Barnaby while he had the opportunity.

'_Because the first time it happened was such a good time_,' Barnaby darkly thought, cringing at the way Kotetsu had pleaded with that mindless stranger who'd worn his face.

_'I'll try to be nice to you, Bunny, okay? I'll be careful with you, I promise. I don't know what that other person does to you, but I'll be really careful, okay? Please don't hate me too much...'_

"How can I not hate you, Old Man?" Barnaby murmured, taking his glasses off and rubbing his temples. His mind kept returning again and again to that episode in the gym, to his violence, to his mindless demand for sex, to the frightening realization that it may as well have happened to someone else because even _seeing_ it didn't change his memory of that night. He clearly remembered driving home, taking a bath, and going to bed because his head hurt. He remembered it with the same vivid detail of seeing the room around him right now. It was terrifying to think that such a real memory could be false, that it had hidden something so enormous from him. How come seeing it didn't jog his memory when this morning...

This morning he'd woken up, idly thinking that his sheets smelled nice, that he'd have to check his mailbox because he hadn't stopped on his way home last night. He remembered with utter clarity having fried rice with the Old Man and thinking that it _was_ actually good (not that he'd ever tell him), driving home on a full stomach after refusing to stay for a beer, and spending the night reviewing his parents' files until a growing headache had forced him to stop. He _remembered_ every moment of it, down to the woman in the blue sedan who'd honked at him when he'd passed her on the freeway. He remembered it!

That is, he remembered it until he'd seen the room around him, the unexpectedly _familiar _room around him, and _then_ he'd had the sudden and frightening flash of...of doing some indescribable things in that bed. He'd pushed it away the second it arrived, immediately forgetting it in his shock and growing confusion until the Old Man has asked him if he remembered anything and a vague image had flashed through his head.

When his Call bracelet went off, he nearly fell out of his chair, garnering a concerned, motherly look from Mrs. Norris.

"That's money calling, kid," she reminded him.

Barnaby got to his feet and headed out, hoping that whatever it was would take the remainder of the night so that he wouldn't have to go see that awful old man again.


	11. Guilty

**So, yeah, drama :D If anyone has ever read anything else by me, I'm pretty bad about diving into angst and drama. Hopefully it entertains! Thanks again to everyone who is reading, and a special thanks to those who leave reviews, I really do appreciate it! ON WITH THE DRAMA! (PS - I tried to be as sensitive as possible to their respective situations considering the circumstances. Hopefully the warnings in the description did their jobs)**

* * *

Barnaby didn't decide right away what exactly he was going to do with this situation. Something fundamentally vital to him had been wounded by the events of the last few days, leaving him feeling lost and betrayed. Worse, he wasn't sure which one of them was more despicable - himself for forcing his attentions on a puzzled and concerned Kotetsu, or the Old Man for taking advantage of him when he knew he was out of his mind. At least he had the valid excuse of not having done any of it voluntarily, which certainly wasn't something that Kotetsu could claim...

He couldn't bring himself to watch the clip. The most he could do was slide it into the dock inside his phone for temporary safekeeping. At least then he'd know where it was at all times, and in the unlikely event of his phone getting stolen, everything on the phone could be wiped remotely. It was the best he could manage under the circumstances. Outright destroying it when it might hold a clue would be something stupidly foolhardy that Kotetsu would do, he knew, which was the only reason he didn't.

It was late by the time Barnaby made up his mind to actually go to the Old Man's house and confront him. He debated contacting him by phone, but there was no part of this conversation he wanted aired anywhere at all, so person-to-person it was. Perversely hoping to inconvenience Kotetsu even slightly, he didn't call ahead, either. Showing up out of the blue would no doubt worry the other man, and it made Barnaby feel slightly more in control.

The porch light was on. He could see dim light through the top window panes of the door as he walked up the steps to lean on the buzzer.

"Yeah, _yeah_! I heard you! I'm coming, already, sheesh!" Kotetsu's voice reached him, muffled by the thickness of the door. Barnaby tensed just hearing him, not out of fear but out of renewed anger.

He heard rustling around on the other side of the door, and Kotetsu said with a fair amount of worried astonishment, "_Bunny_?!"

"My name is Barnaby," he tightly reminded the man. "Open this door."

"Er..ah...yeah, hang on..."

He heard the locks click and, strangely, nothing else until his phone rang.

"What on earth?" he darkly murmured, seeing Kotetsu's number flash on the face of his phone. He flipped it open and read the short text, '_Come in_.'

"Did you run away, Old Man?" he didn't recall seeing a back door, but he hadn't exactly been focused on his surroundings. Aggravated, he shoved the door open and let himself inside, slamming it behind him. "I see you got your locks repaired."

There was decidedly no answer.

"Old Man?" Barnaby called, doubly irritated. He'd forced himself to come here when he didn't want to, if only to prove to himself that he could, that he wouldn't allow anyone to think they'd ever gotten the better of him. He was no one's victim, absolutely refused to entertain the notion - at least, that was the picture he intended to present.

"Ah...hey, Bunny..."

He tracked the voice to the loft, bristling to see Kotetsu peeking around the corner of the wall at him as if Barnaby might suddenly decide to rip his clothes off. The thought quietly infuriated him, considering what Kotetsu had already done.

"If I wanted to kill you, Old Man, that certainly isn't far enough away," he snapped, striding further into the open room to stand with his hands on his hips.

"Ah...no, it's not that, Bunny," Kotetsu stammered, giving him an embarrassed grin, the same one he'd seen dozens of times over the weeks of their partnership. A stinging setback died on the tip of his tongue when the older man weakly admitted, "I thought maybe you'd rather I stay pretty far away from you...yeah?"

"My preference has never seemed to affect your actions in the past," Barnaby sharply told him. "Come down here this instant! I want to discuss some things with you."

Kotetsu made his bumbling way halfway down the stairs and sat on the risers, looking everywhere but at his partner, nervously toying with that bracelet he always wore. The left side of his face was swollen and bruised. Strangely, seeing it didn't make Barnaby feel any better.

"Please stop pretending to have even an ounce of remorse," Barnaby told him, and directed his attention out of the windows so he wouldn't have to make eye contact. "Mister Lloyds has agreed not to terminate you."

"Ah...is that so?" Kotetsu quietly asked, as meek as Barnaby had ever seen him. He knew the Old Man was waiting for a burst of temper, for the other shoe to drop, and that irritated Barnaby to no end. He wasn't some fickle diva in a drama, for God's sake!

"I've decided that you can at least help me figure this out," Barnaby told him. "The least you can do is help clear up the mess you've made."

There was a long, strained silence before Kotetsu quietly said, "I only wanted to help y - "

"Your meddling is precisely the problem!" Barnaby told him, the edges of his temper rapidly fraying under his tight hold. "You can't leave anything alone, can you? You have to poke your nose into other peoples' business and bumble about until you break everything that isn't yours!"'

He turned to pin the shamefaced Old Man with his angry gaze, asking, "Didn't I warn you on my birthday? Didn't I tell you to stay out of my life?"

Kotetsu shifted uncomfortably on the riser, gazing to one side, still unable to meet his eye.

"You can't even look at me?" Barnaby asked, and it surprised him that his voice was tight, that the nightmare of being weakened by what had happened was rapidly becoming an ugly reality. "_Why_? Because you've seen me undressed? Because you've had your filthy hands all over me? Do you think it makes _me_ any less, Old Man?"

"No, Bunny," Kotetsu said, flinching at the heat in his words. "I can't look at you because I can't bear the way you look back at me."

"You think you don't deserve it?"

"I didn't say that," Kotetsu said, his sad brown eyes flicking up at last. He could do that without meaning to, look like a whipped dog. It only served to remind Barnaby that Kotetsu wasn't the only monster in the room. They were frauds, both of them, only _he_ at least, hadn't actually meant to do what he'd done. "I just wanted to help you, Bunny."

"Stop calling me that," Barnaby growled, and looked out at the dubious view to distract himself. "Why did you try to hide what I did to you in the gym?"

For a long moment he thought that Kotetsu might not answer him, but he man finally said, "It wasn't important."

The young man felt his shoulders tighten, unconsciously hunching forward.

"It was just an accident, Bunny," Kotetsu said, no trace of condemnation in his voice. "I hoped you'd never see it."

Barnaby took a deep breath and tried to sound dispassionate when he said, "I demanded that you be fired, and Mister Lloyds informed me that there had been an _incident_. Mister Saito finally agreed to show me, so I saw everything that happened. Now answer me properly, Old Man, what were you thinking, hiding that from me?"

"You're a good person, Bunny. You're a hero with a bright future," Kotetsu somberly told him. "I didn't want you to see yourself any other way. I didn't want that to go away because of a stupid accident."

"It _was_ a stupid accident," Barnaby said, defending himself against the shame the Old Man's words inspired. He glared at Kotetsu and said with a little more volume. "It was just a stupid accident! Please don't think for one second that I blame myself for what happened."

"I don't," Kotetsu said, and seemed genuinely surprised that Barnaby would even mention such a thing. "It wasn't like it was your fault, Bunny - "

"_I know it wasn't my fault_!" Barnaby snapped, trembling.

" - because I was the one who hit you," Kotetsu said, and dropped his gaze again, contrite. "So that really makes it my fault again."

Barnaby counted to ten, refusing to be swayed from his anger, trying incredibly hard not to feel guilty. None of this was his fault, by God. Finally, he managed to tell the older man, "Don't do that."

"Eh?" Kotetsu asked, puzzled.

"_Don't try to garner my sympathy_!" Barnaby said, swallowing hard. "If I was in my right mind, I would never have done anything like that to you!"

"I know, Bunny," Kotetsu said, and his continued docile agreement only served to fan the flames of Barnaby's anger, which, if he was honest with himself, was really only to hide his growing guilt. It wasn't fair that he felt like the one in the wrong when Kotetsu had done something so much worse by willfully taking advantage of him!

"I don't even want to _think_ about it, because as far as I'm concerned it never happened!" he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He shoved his trembling hands into his pockets and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Bunny...I'm really sorry," Kotetsu softly told him, flinching when the statement provoked half-hysterical laughter.

"You're _sorry_?" Barnaby echoed, his dark mirth barely covering the urge to just break down into a rage. "How did you think taking me to bed would help my situation, Old Man?"

Kotetsu wisely said nothing.

"Why would you even _consider_ it?!" Barnaby asked, rational conversation escaping him. "Even a perverted, washed-up has-been like you should know better than to try something so fundamentally _stupid_!"

The older man was staring at the floor again, prompting Barnaby to snarl at him, "Look at me, Old Man! After the things you've done, you should at least be able to look at me, if you're really so sorry and genuine!"

It wasn't fair. It wasn't nice. It wasn't even remotely in line to say, but Barnaby didn't care. He wanted Kotetsu to be just as ashamed, made to feel just as guilty, just as awful and afraid as he himself did.

'_Like he felt when you left him lying there on the floor after you raped him_?'

"I'm not responsible for what happened to you then," he said, his voice shaking, unable to force an iota of conviction into that statement.

"I know, Bunny..." Kotetsu said, meeting his gaze.

It was Barnaby who flinched, who looked away first.

"We're not even," he said, and turned his back on Kotetsu because if he looked at him a second longer, those angry, shaken tears were going to escape and then he'd probably never be able to stop them, never be able to look at that man again. "Do you hear me? What I did to you isn't _remotely_ on the same level as what you did to me."

"I never thought it was," Kotetsu said, somber. "You didn't do anything wrong, Bunny."

"_I know that_!" he shouted, and flung back his head to draw another deep, gasping breath. It took longer than he wanted, bringing a silence that Kotetsu made no move to break. Finally, Barnaby was able to ask in a steady voice, "Did it ever occur to you, Old Man, that maybe all of these theories of yours are wrong? Did you ever stop and think that maybe, just _maybe_ you could've found another way to convince me? Do you think you could manage to explain your reasoning to me in a way that makes sense to intelligent people?"

It was a dirty dig and he knew it, but for some reason he just couldn't control it. He was so angry at that old man, so guilty for what he'd done to Kotetsu, for what Kotetsu had done to him. It was easier to lash out than it was to examine any facet of what he was really feeling, and Kotetsu made a convenient, willing target.

"Ah...well...Say, Bunny, are you sure you want to do this right n - "

"_Please don't answer my question with a question_!" Barnaby reminded him.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," Kotetsu hastily said. "I didn't have any luck telling you about it, and you never remembered anything, so I thought if I had some proof then you could see for yourself - "

"So you thought that some amateur pornography with myself as the star would go a long way towards convincing me that something had happened?" Barnaby tightly asked, infuriated.

"_No_! No, Bunny! It's just that once you're triggered, things go badly if you don't...get what you want," Kotetsu explained, as uncomfortable as Barnaby himself was. "I just thought - "

"_Please forget I asked_," Barnaby sharply said, unable to stand the man's reasoning. "Just tell me what you know so far."

"Well...we know what the...er...trigger is," Kotetsu said, complying with the younger man's request.

Barnaby scowled and resisted the urge to draw in on himself.

"That once you're hit, you follow a...uh...routine," Kotetsu softly went on, being surprisingly tactful. "I wasn't sure what happened when it was over because when I followed you, you went straight home."

"You followed me?" Barnaby asked, the faint surprise spreading over his anger.

"Ah, yeah, uhm, after another time..."

Barnaby remembered the migraine he'd had after trying to help Kotetsu get the suit off, and remembered that there were probably other instances of the clumsy man setting him off. Perhaps even intentionally.

"Precisely how many times has this happened, Old Man?"

"Only three," Kotetsu hastily said. "The first time, then the other day when you tried to help me get my suit off. It was an accident, Bunny. I really tried not to hit you."

'_I've been sort of clumsy today and I don't want to hit you on accident_...'

Well, if he admitted to at least one other time that Barnaby knew had occurred, he was probably being honest about how many awful instances had actually been instigated. It wasn't much, but at least he could believe that much.

"That's when I found out you were programmed to go home, whatever the circumstances," Kotetsu said, and then added in bare whisper, "And that you'd respond to direct commands as long as they didn't include stopping or staying away."

Heat flared in Barnaby's cheeks at _that_ little gem.

"Only three times?" he asked, focusing on something else.

"Yeah," Kotetsu agreed. "Then last night I was able to keep you here...once you were programmed to go home. You looked at a video of white light on your phone, then you...ah...went to sleep."

Barnaby said nothing. He was very careful not to turn around or make any move to see the Old Man, or he might just give him a matching bruise on the other cheek.

"I didn't time it, but I thought that maybe it could tell us at least how close the Next was - "

"You're just assuming it's a Next," Barnaby said, closing his eyes. "It's precisely this shortsightedness that makes you useless, Old Man. You assumed it was a Next. You assumed you could figure it out on your own when you can't even figure your way out of a _wet paper sack_. You assumed you could do such a thing to me without repercussion because you were _just trying to help_. You assumed that someone was abusing me because of how I acted, but the truth of the matter is that you don't know anything at all about anything that's going on! You're just mucking about making a mess of things like you always do!"

Chastened, Kotetsu said nothing to defend himself. Barnaby wished he would, wished he'd fly off on one of his self-aggrandizing rants so that they could well and truly have a fight, because this continued acceptance of his anger was only making him feel worse.

"I know that someone did this to you on purpose, whatever it is," Kotetsu told him, a familiar seriousness in his deep voice that actually relieved the younger man. "I know that you follow a set of instructions, and that after you watch that video you tell yourself to go to bed. I know that somehow you wake up thinking you've had a migraine and you don't remember any of it. Knowing all of that, knowing that someone is doing this to you, should I have just stayed quiet and let it continue?"

Barnaby didn't have an answer. He didn't want to think about it, because then he'd have to admit that there _was_ someone else taking advantage of him, and he preferred the devil he knew to the devil he didn't.

"I'm not going to thank you for what you've done," Barnaby informed him. "There were other ways, Old Man. Just because you couldn't figure them doesn't mean they don't exist."

"I'm really sorry, Bunny," Kotetsu quietly repeated. "I needed to have proof for you, I just...didn't want you to see yourself like you were that first time."

Barnaby blinked rapidly, not feeling any better by the admission but at least informed. On an intellectual level, if he considered things with the same simplistic, nearsighted view as Kotetsu, it made a certain bizarre...well, _sense_ wasn't the word he'd use, but something very near. Kotetsu hadn't wanted Barnaby to see himself forcefully attacking him, which would've been twice as devastating as what he _had_ seen, though it was admittedly little.

"I thought if maybe you saw it this way instead," Kotetsu trailed off, apparently finding his reasons as absurd as they probably actually were. "Well, you just ended up angry with me like you should be, so the result is the same. I'd rather you be angry and hating me than angry and hating yourself."

"Please stop talking," Barnaby said, his heart pounding painfully. "Please don't ascribe the least of good intentions to what you did to me. There is no justification you could make that would allow it to be acceptable. However you look at it or dress it with earnest reasoning, what you did to me in that bed was rape, Old Man."

He glared over his shoulder at Kotetsu. The man looked ill and vastly ashamed, as well he should.

"However willingly my body may have gone," Barnaby said, determined that Kotetsu understand the depths to which he had sunk. "_I_ didn't give my consent. I would never give my consent to a clumsy, embarrassing disaster like you."

"I know, Bunny," Kotetsu said, agreeable again.

"So don't tell me you were doing the best you could," Barnaby stiffly said. "Don't you ever say that you were concerned about me and being careful of me when there were any number of ways to resolve this without resorting to taking advantage of me. Don't you dare pretend you had my best interests in mind when you did those things to me!"

His panting was loud in the sudden silence, as loud as the thundering of his heart in his ears.

"And don't pretend you're sorry, Old Man," Barnaby harshly whispered, moving further away to resist the sudden urge to pound some remorse into that thick head of his. "I want you to help me figure this out. You owe me that much, at least. At the very least you can ensure that no one else accidentally hits me, though I doubt anyone but you could manage to be so horrifically clumsy."

"Ah...yeah, sure," Kotetsu said. "Say, Bunny..."

'_Are you mad at me, still_?' Barnaby flinched and crossed his arms over his chest, shivering.

"Wouldn't you rather I go away?" Kotetsu asked, and the concern in his voice couldn't be genuine.

"If you're honestly regretting the way you've mishandled this situation," Barnaby told him, swinging around to stare into Kotetsu's wide brown eyes until the older man dropped them, ashamed. "Then the best punishment I can think of is to keep you close, so that every time you look at me, you remember what you did."

"Ah...okay, Bunny," Kotetsu said, frowning and serious. "I'll help you find out what's going on. I only ever wanted to...I'll help you. I promise."

"Please don't speak so rashly," Barnaby said. "At any rate, you've involved yourself and you'll have to take responsibility for that. It isn't as if you have a choice."

It grated on him that he'd uttered something so similar to what Lloyd's had said earlier in the day, reminding him that the first time hadn't exactly been a consensual encounter from Kotetsu's point of view.

But Barnaby was willing to entirely eliminate that point of view, that encounter. He was willing to pretend it hadn't happened, and if Kotetsu was so eager to take the blame then he could have the younger man's share for himself.

Because Barnaby honestly didn't deserve it, the way things were. What had happened to Kotetsu was just a regrettable accident that paled in the face of the intentional abuse the man had subjected him to.

"Please, Barnaby, if you can someday," Kotetsu said, staring down at his hands as if they were alien to him. "Forgive me?"

If there was a single question he'd ever been asked that he could answer with genuine conviction, it was this one.

"_No_."


	12. Shattered

It was strange to think that he'd fled from this place over twelve hours ago, enraged, offended, and deeply betrayed, and yet here he was at nearly one in the morning with the Old Man tentatively creeping off of the stairs to ask, "Say, Bunny, did you eat at all?"

"Why do you insist on calling me that?" he asked, falling victim to one of his least favorite things - answering a question with a question. "My name is Barnaby, and when and where I eat is no concern of yours!"

"Actually," Kotetsu said, scratching his head in that diffident habit of his. "It is my business a little - if you get sick because you aren't eating, then you won't be able to work, yeah?"

"It isn't as if the points I make increase your own," Barnaby snapped, irritated. "Mind your own business."

"Ah, okay, sorry, sorry," Kotetsu said, sidling into the kitchen to root around in his refrigerator.

"What on earth are you doing?" Barnaby asked, unable to believe that Kotetsu could possibly think about food at a time like this.

"I can't think right on an empty stomach," Kotetsu informed him, emerging from the small fridge with a large plate of fried rice. "I made this earlier for dinner but couldn't eat it."

"Well I'm glad to see you've gotten your appetite back!" the younger man flared, offended, as if Kotetsu's crimes should keep him properly unable to eat.

"When I saw you I felt relieved," Kotetsu said, shrugging. Before Barnaby could utter an indignant remark about it, the older man said, "I couldn't eat, thinking you were off hurting somewhere and afraid."

It startled Barnaby into a telling silence before he was able to recover and hiss, "_I have never been afraid of you, Old Man!_"

Kotetsu just put a skillet onto a burner on his pitiable stove and started to heat it, apparently finding the conversation had become too dangerous again.

"That video, Bunny," he said at last, dumping his leftovers into the skillet. "What do you make of it?"

Livid, Barnaby snapped, "_I don't even want to _think_ about it_!"

"The one on your phone of the white light," Kotetsu softly corrected, his dusky cheeks reddening at the mention of the tape he'd made.

Reminded of something that could potentially be helpful, Barnaby pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his media, frowning when he saw the video. There were no details attached to it, no sign of origin. It looked like he'd imported it from a now-defunct web address sometime when he'd first purchased the phone, but he certainly would've remembered doing such a thing.

"Bunny, you're not watching that, are you?" Kotetsu asked, alarmed.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Barnaby said, frowning at him. "There's no telling what that might do if I...haven't followed my course of action."

He finished with a blush on his own cheeks, and looked away from the concerned older man, vastly uncomfortable. To cover it, he asked, "What happened to you when you looked at it?"

"Ah...uhm...well, I only saw a few seconds, so nothing," Kotetsu said, rapidly stirring the fried rice. The scent of it reminded Barnaby that he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. Or was it the day before yesterday, now that it was after midnight? "You watched it all the way through, but I saw a bit of it reflected in your eyes and it looked like it was just that same white light."

He portioned out two plates, saying with an embarrassed, cringing grin, "I usually make some ahead, even though it isn't as good reheated."

Barnaby bit back his scathing comment, recognizing that Kotetsu was extending an olive branch of sorts. He didn't want to accept it, didn't want that man to think he was remotely forgiven, but the pair of them _did_ have to be able to work together and he was, by _God_, a professional.

The silence and Barnaby's disapproval prompted Kotetsu to put the plate down on the counter and take his own back to the stairs, contrite.

Barnaby waited until he was seated to go to the counter and cautiously take a bite, his eyes never leaving Kotetsu. He didn't do it on purpose, but despite his heated claim he _did _find himself leery of the older man. Kotetsu, he knew, didn't have a chance against him if he was awake and aware. It was the troubling idea that the older man could come up on his blindside and drop him that deeply frightened Barnaby. He'd never trusted the man who was supposed to be his partner, and now he knew he never _could_.

"Say, Bunny, I was thinking," Kotetsu called, pretending not to notice that he was under surveillance. "We should get you one of those Kevlar protector thingies to wear, so no one accidentally sets you off."

It was such a simple and direct solution that Barnaby hadn't even gotten to it, yet, mired as he was in the dark worry about what exactly was happening to him. Kotetsu - a simplistic person who lived in the moment - had of course gone the other route of how to prevent it. Barnaby was embarrassed that he hadn't even thought about it yet. He was so focused on the why that he'd utterly forgotten about prevention being 90% of a cure.

"Y'know, like our suits have," Kotetsu mused, tapping his spoon against his lower lip. "Maybe Mister Saito could come up with something...I should've asked him before now, I guess. But you probably would've killed me if I'd asked you to wear it..."

Annoyed, Barnaby didn't even say thank you for the suggestion. He merely finished off the fried rice (which was delicious _solely_ due to his hunger) and turned to lean on the counter.

"So...You feel better, Bunny?" Kotetsu gently inquired, his own unfinished plate balanced on his knees.

"That's not your business," Barnaby reminded him, wearily accepting that wretched nickname for now since correcting the other man was tiresome. "Tell me everything, Old Man, just spare the gory details."

"Ah...okay, sure," Kotetsu said, looking back at his plate but making no attempt to continue eating. "Let's see...The first time was really surprising, but I knew right away that something had happened to you, and all I could think of was that it was a Next of some kind."

"Or hypnosis," Barnaby offered, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. How could Kotetsu even _mention_ that incident without getting angry? Despite the man's claims, they both knew that Barnaby had been the aggressor in that particular situation, whatever the circumstances, so how could he be so damned _calm_?

"Hypnosis?" Kotetsu echoed, and paled a little because it had clearly never occurred to him.

"Let me worry about that, please continue," Barnaby said, not wanting him to get sidetracked. "You deduced what started it, which is commendable given your faculties- "

Kotetsu scowled at him and took a defiant, irritated bite of his food.

" - attempted to prevent it the next time it occurred, and somehow realized that I would follow commands?" It still galled him to think such a thing, that he could be ordered about like an obedient dog.

"Er...yeah," Kotetsu agreed, nodding. "Simple things. I thought that maybe the Next who did this was someone you didn't know well, or someone who didn't have a lot of regular contact with you. It didn't make sense that you'd be really familiar enough with them to go to their house or whatever...So I figured they had to have a way to get you someplace private."

They both turned red and looked in opposite directions for a long, silent moment.

"That was also incredibly intelligent of you," Barnaby said, though his heart wasn't in the insult. Kotetsu had proven his wits countless times before, after all. It just felt better to Barnaby to belittle him, so that it didn't seem as if Kotetsu had actually gotten the better of him.

"Yeah," Kotetsu shortly said, still staring out of the window next to the stairs, his food forgotten. "But no matter what I said to you, I couldn't make you stop."

Barnaby's mouth thinned with distaste and suddenly the food felt like lead in his stomach. In a tight, uneasy voice he asked, "Did it go like it had the first time, Old Man?"

Kotetsu shook his head in the negative, saying softly, "No. I was able to keep us in our suits that time. You stop when you..._finish_."

Flushing, Barnaby pushed his glasses up, feeling tired and on his last resources.

"Well at least no one got terribly taken advantage of that time," he decided was the safest thing to say. It relieved him a little to know that Kotetsu had done his best to prevent any seriously terrible contact between them, which gave Barnaby the unsettling, delicate suspicion that Kotetsu wasn't intent on taking advantage of him. If the older man had been so keen to do so, then he wouldn't have bothered to keep their clothes on that time.

"Nothing I said would keep you there, either," Kotetsu went on as if he hadn't even heard Barnaby. "You obeyed when I told you to change into your proper clothes, but then when I tried to stop you from leaving, you'd just repeat over and over that you had to go. Short of hurting you, there wasn't a way to keep you there and make you realize what had happened."

"So you followed me instead?" Barnaby asked, grateful that Kotetsu wasn't being elaborate about things.

"I did, yeah," the man agreed, looking down at his plate to push the remains of his meal around with his spoon. "I thought maybe you'd go to whoever did this to you and I'd be able to find out who they were. I wasn't sure how you were programmed to respond once you left, but you only went right home. I don't know what you did after that, since I couldn't follow you any further."

Kotetsu was making so much sense that it was almost alarming. Barnaby had been willing to believe that this was a completely unrelated problem, that there was no other person doing awful things to him, that Kotetsu was jumping at shadows and making mountains out of molehills again.

But the truth was, Kotetsu made a very convincing argument that something else _was_ going on.

"Is that why you decided on..." An appropriate description of what had occurred to him in this house didn't really come to mind, "...that particular course of action?"

"I thought maybe you'd wake up if I waited long enough after you wanted to go home," Kotetsu solemnly said. "I thought it would just be a matter of time before the real you came back, and then I could tell you the whole thing. I hadn't counted on that video you watched, or you stripping off and going back to bed..."

Kotetsu trailed off, blushing.

Barnaby cleared his throat and resisted the urge to send Kotetsu straight through the window he was sitting next to.

"I'm not entirely convinced that this is the work of another Next," he said instead. "And I'm also not entirely convinced that its purpose is of such an ugly nature, I -"

"You did something unsettling last night," Kotetsu said, effectively hushing him. The older man's deep brown eyes met his own, disturbed and unhappy. "When I told you to lay back, you crossed your wrists over your head like you were waiting for something else to happen."

Barnaby dropped his gaze to the floor, shocked and horrified by the inference.

"Bunny, _every_ time so far, you've been really rough," Kotetsu said, just stating the facts. "I _do_ think there is another Next abusing you, and I think they do really harsh things with you. Do you ever remember waking after a migraine with bruises?"

For a dizzying, frightening second the tiled floor he'd fixed his eyes on began to spin and he thought he might just fall face-first down the center of it because yes, he _had_ in fact woken from migraines with bruises before.

"That's been the case several times," he softly admitted, closing his eyes to block out that nauseating vision. "I always had a memory of falling down, or sustaining an injury during a wrestling match, or something similar that fit right into my life at the time."

In a soft, worried voice, Kotetsu gently asked, "Bunny, how long have you been having these migraines?"

It was another question he didn't want to answer, didn't want to think about, because it sickened him just to recall, let alone to admit, "Since I was about ten, I think..."

Kotetsu abruptly put his plate down. It took Barnaby longer than it should have to realize that the older man had let it drop from his nerveless fingers, shocked by what his partner was telling him.

"Ten years old," he echoed, horrified. His large, expressive brown eyes searched Barnaby's strained, pale face. "My God, Bunny, I..."

"Please don't say anything," Barnaby managed, turning his back on the Old Man to compose himself. He tried to compartmentalize the information, to break it into manageable, impersonal pieces that could be viewed with objective, detached stoicism.

It didn't work.

He dropped his head, his hand covering his mouth to muffle the soft sound of his weeping as tears flowed down his face.


	13. Conceding

It was physically painful for Kotetsu to watch Bunny falling apart in his kitchen, especially knowing the circumstances. He wasn't the kind of man who could turn away from someone in pain, no; he was the man who wanted to _help_. Discreet as Bunny was with his tears, it was pretty obvious how upset he was, and with good reason. Kotetsu actually got up and started to approach him with the vague idea of comforting his partner somehow, letting him know that he didn't have to suffer in silence. He knew he wasn't an ideal choice of partners, but there was no one more determined or willing to go to more extremes on another person's behalf. Just thinking that someone had been abusing Barnaby since he was a child was enough to inflame Kotetsu's fatherly instincts. Why, little Kaede was nine, just one year shy of when some bastard had started taking advantage of Bunny...

'_Like you did_,' he unhelpfully reminded himself, and that stopped him dead in his tracks. He didn't have the right to console Barnaby. In fact, he knew he should stay as far from the younger man as physically possible. The last thing that would help his partner right now was the unwelcome presence of yet _another _person who'd betrayed his trust.

"Well, I guess that ends my theory that the Next is someone you've recently come into contact with," Kotetsu quietly said, not mentioning Barnaby's tears, making no move to come closer despite his desire to do so. "Fourteen years...that's a long time full of a lot of people to consider..."

"It could be anyone," Bunny finally said, his voice thick and unsteady. "God, when I think back, it could be _anyone_."

"Can you think of any particular person you were always around when those migraines happened?" Kotetsu asked, hoping that working towards solving things would help Bunny feel more in control of his situation. "You said you have two a month? Was that always the case?"

"N...No, not always," Bunny said, wiping at his face in small movements that begged not to be seen. "No, when I went to boarding school, they went away for the most part until I came home on holidays."

"That makes sense," Kotetsu mused, quickly looking back towards the window when Bunny shifted so that the young man wouldn't realize he'd been watching. "So whoever is doing this to you is probably a casual acquaintance, or a family m..."

He shut up, remembering the coy look on Stranger Bunny's face when he'd breathed, '_Papa_...'

He opted not to tell Barnaby about that, mostly because it wouldn't make a difference and would only serve to remind the young man about the awful things that had been done to him.

"At any rate, it's someone who's been close enough to you through the years that they've been able to continue since you were a child," Kotetsu said, setting the facts straight in his head. "I've never heard of a Next power that could affect someone's memories..."

"Maybe it doesn't," Barnaby said, getting control of himself, though Kotetsu ached when he thought of how difficult it was for the younger man. There was steel in Bunny's stiff spine, that was for sure. "That video on my phone isn't anyone's power at work, it's just a white light. It could be just another kind of trigger that makes me put myself to bed. It could _all_ be a set of carefully crafted triggers to produce desired behavior patterns. There could possibly not even _be_ a Next involved - it could just be someone very skilled in hypnosis."

Kotetsu absorbed that, mulling it over. Cautiously, he ventured, "You don't seem that suggestible to me, Bunny. Your first reaction to anything is _'no, thank you'_, isn't it?"

"It wasn't fourteen years ago," Barnaby bitterly said, his shoulders tightening. "If they were able to snare me at that young of an age, perhaps the rest has been done over time."

The implications were staggering. If someone could do this to Bunny then they could do this to anyone, and finding the culprit after fourteen years...

"Bunny," Kotetsu said, gazing at his faint reflection in the window. "We'll get Mister Saito to make a protector for you, okay? We'll wait to see who tries to trigger you and then when they do, you can arrest them and make them undo whatever it is they've done to you."

There was nothing but silence behind him. When he turned around he saw Bunny with his head still hanging and his shoulders still hunched, looking disturbingly defeated.

"Say, Bunny, don't you think we'll get them before long?" he asked, trying to bring hope of some kind to the younger man who had, to Kotetsu's relief, stopped crying so quietly. "You're number two on the leaderboard, so it won't take you any time at all to find this person and stop them, right?"

"If it was that easy, Old Man, then they would've been caught by now," Bunny said, a familiar sharpness in his tone as he regained his composure. "Honestly, I don't know how you live in such a fantasy land. It's like having Peter Pan for a partner."

"Eh? Peter who?" Kotetsu asked, figuring it was an insult of some sort...

"Never mind," Barnaby told him. "I'm going home. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Say, Bunny," Kotetsu said, watching him with growing concern. "Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"I'd rather drive in this state than stay _here_," Barnaby pointedly said, glowering at him.

Kotetsu offered an uneasy, apologetic grin, weakly saying, "No, I mean, I could call a cab for you - "

"I don't need you to do that for me," Bunny told him. "I don't need you to do _anything_ for me, Old Man, except show up to work and attempt to be adept in the least."

"Ah...yeah," Kotetsu said, dismayed that the younger man would say such a thing. But at least he was back to his normal disagreeable self. "Bunny - "

"Would it work if I punched you every time you called me that?"

" - are you sure you want me to come back to work?" Kotetsu finished, ignoring the threat.

Barnaby pinned him with those serious green eyes and considered for a long moment before he tipped his perfect nose up slightly, saying with his usual bland distaste, "I've already told you, Old Man - if seeing me every day will make you feel terrible for the things you've done, then it's the best punishment I can imagine. That aside, you're the only other person who knows about my..._condition_, so it's your responsibility to keep anyone else from accidentally triggering it."

Kotetsu blinked, frowning. None of those were good reasons, they were just _reasonable_ reasons.

"Say, you know, Bunny, sometimes you're more an old man than I am," Kotetsu informed him.

"If you're going to add insult to injury," Bunny tightly warned. "I'll give you a matching bruise on the other cheek."

Kotetsu protectively covered the other side of his face and scowled at him, wondering how he could go so quickly from wanting to comfort Bunny to thinking he was a snot-nosed brat, all the while with the memory of having seen that same cold, irritated face transformed with passion in the heat of his bed...however false it had been.

"_I'm leaving_," Barnaby announced, his cheeks pink and his nose tipping further up.

"Just be _careful_, Bunny - "

"Please stop pretending to have concern for me," the younger man sharply reminded him. "I haven't forgotten what happened here. I haven't forgiven you and I never will, do you understand?"

Kotetsu dropped his gaze to the floor, wishing he has something to say for himself.

"Outside of our professional lives, I want nothing to do with you, Old Man," Bunny went on, laying out the terms of their future interactions. "No calls, no texts, no inquiries into my personal life."

"But what about helping you find the person who did this to you?" Kotetsu asked, alarmed into looking up, only to have Bunny glare at him.

"_One of them is right in front of me_!" the man reminded him. "As for the rest, if I find a lead of some sort and think I require your dubious help, then I will inform you of it. Until then, mind your own business, conduct yourself like a professional, and I'll do the same."

Kotetsu was unable to formulate a reply before Bunny rapidly made for the door. He watched in flustered, unhappy silence as the young man once more left his house, at least this time under better circumstances.

Nothing had gone the way he'd envisioned, though in hindsight he had no idea how he'd ever thought it _would_. Bunny didn't really want his help in finding his abuser, didn't want him making a mess of things like he always did. In all honestly, Kotetsu couldn't blame him for that.

"I'm sorry, Bunny," he murmured, moving to flip the locks he'd had replaced and leaning against the door with a sigh. "I always screw everything up."

He desperately wanted to know that his partner had gotten home in one piece but knew better than to pester him. Instead, he cleaned up the rice he'd spilled, grabbed another beer out of the fridge, and flopped down on his couch hoping that the alcohol would at least deaden things for just a little while.


	14. Convoluting

**Sorry if this is getting long. I tend to write the Odyssey every time I go for anything but a one-shot. My bad, but please enjoy!**

* * *

Showing up at work the next day was, in a word, awkward.

Barnaby was already in and seated at his desk, looking wan and even more pale than usual. Not wanting to bother him, Kotetsu managed not to knock anything over on his way to his desk, even though he was incredibly weary from the last few days. He scolded himself by thinking that Bunny was probably doubly worn out, considering everything that had happened to him.

"You two fight again?" Mrs. Norris asked, her brown eyes flashing from Barnaby to Kotetsu, both of whom looked up with a distinct amount of panic in their equally wide eyes as they said in tandem, "No, ma'am!"

"Hmph."

Barnaby absently covered his heart with his hand as if the gesture would still its sudden erratic thumping. He actually jumped a little when Kotetsu - who apparently had no nerves to speak of - suddenly asked, "Say, Bunny, are you going to go back to the hospital today?"

It took the younger man a moment to recall why on earth he would. The criminal that Bison had revived from the church incident had finally woken up, and Barnaby had said that they would interrogate him, but since the man had no connection to Ouroboros, he'd lost interest. That had been days ago, though, days that felt like _years_ ago thanks to recent events. He turned to inform Kotetsu that it wasn't his business, momentarily flustered to find that the man's brown eyes were unsettlingly serious and unsettlingly _close_.

'_They aren't really brown_,' came the unwelcome thought. '_I guess that's the accepted description, but they're actually kind of amber_...'

He flushed, scooted his chair another few inches away, and stiffly said, "Go yourself if you're so interested. He's nothing to do with me."

"Eh?!" Kotetsu asked, his behavior normal while Barnaby couldn't seem to find his usual place. "_Bunny_! You said you wanted to make sure! What if he knows something about it?! _Eh_?"

"Please lower your voice," Barnaby requested, sighing and turning his head away to hide his sudden discomfit. What was it about having been..._intimate_ with someone that made it impossible to act normally? Or, rather, what was it about _him_, because the Old Man was certainly himself. "I sincerely doubt we'd be doing anything more than wasting our time."

Kotetsu glowered at him and said, "He's still a criminal, and you still could find out more about the people he works for. That could lead to point - "

"Your juvenile attempts to manipulate me are embarrassing, Old Man," Barnaby told him, cutting him off. "If the cameras aren't rolling, then there _are _no points."

Kotetsu's glower intensified to the point that the older man actually crossed his arms over his chest in what Barnaby considered a very childish display of disapproval. He idly thought that the Peter Pan reference hadn't been far off - Kotetsu T. Kaburagi was mid-thirties going on twelve...

"Fine," he said, secretly glad to have an excuse to get out of the office. He was in no frame of mind to do paperwork and felt both tired and stifled.

Kotetsu popped up out of his seat, relieved that they wouldn't have to stay in the office all day. Sitting this close to Bunny, knowing that he was hiding all of that awful stress underneath such a calm face, and knowing he wasn't able to help the young man just made him restless and anxious - neither of which suited his nature. He wanted to get the brat out into some fresh air, out of his own head, and maybe out from under the dark cloud of his worry for awhile. Plus, as long as Barnaby was with him, he wasn't going to fall prey to that mystery someone who'd been hurting him.

"Ah, ah, wait, Bunny, hang on," Kotetsu called as he followed the younger man down the hallway, scrambling in the wake of Bunny's long-legged, purposeful stride. "Hey, wait! Wait, I said! Damn it!"

"What is it, Old Man?" Barnaby asked, pausing in front of the elevators.

"Say, shouldn't we go see Mister Saito?" Kotetsu asked, anxiously glancing down, which only served to make Barnaby bristle. "For...you know? To see if he could make something for you?"

"I've already sent a request for him this morning," Barnaby said, somewhat smug about it. He pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked at Kotetsu, who fairly drooped in disappointment that he hadn't been able to help. "He says he'll have something for me by this evening at the soonest."

"Ah..." Kotetsu said, thinking that was a long time for Bunny to be without some kind of protection. He stepped onto the elevator and leaned into the corner, idly rubbing his chin as he considered Bunny spending the rest of the day in his Hero suit. It took him a moment to realize Bunny had spoken, prompting him to say, "Eh?"

"Are you deaf as well, now?" Barnaby asked, annoyed at the way the Old Man had ignored him. "I asked you what you were thinking so hard about."

"You wearing your suit," Kotetsu answered, then blushed when Barnaby glared ferociously at him. Waving his hands wildly in denial, Kotetsu stammered, "Ah! No! No! No, not like that! Not that! Ah! No, I mean, uh, _I mean so you're protected today_! That's all! I wasn't thinking about you - "

Barnaby bolted across the small space, slapped his palm over Kotetsu's mouth, and lowly warned, "If you say _one more word_ \- "

The elevator doors opened with a soft ping, and they both realized with startled horror that Lloyds was waiting to enter with Agnes and the cameraman behind him, the little blinking light on the camera's side merrily announcing that it was recording.

Kotetsu quietly sighed, "Damn it," but with Bunny's hand over his mouth, all that came out was a muffled complaint.

* * *

"_Stop filming_!" Agnes shouted, cramming into the elevator, shoving past Lloyds who, for his part, looked perfectly horrified and embarrassed.

Bunny dropped his hand like he'd been burned and retreated across the elevator, vainly trying to avoid the woman's pushy presence.

"Where are you two off to?" she demanded. "Barnaby, didn't you get my message that you have another documentary to do?"

"I haven't checked my messages, ma'am," Bunny admitted, fiddling with his glasses. It was as much a nervous gesture as a triumphant one, Kotetsu realized. The younger man was distinctly uneasy, prompting Kotetsu to insert himself between them.

"Say, how about a documentary about Wild Tiger? Eh?!" he asked, his frantic gestures forcing her back a step or two to give Bunny some breathing room. "Ten year veteran hero out helping citizens?! Eh?"

"No one cares about that," she said, annoyed. She turned to the cameraman and asked, "Can we salvage the entry footage, Cain?"

"Yep," he amiably agreed, still messing with the camera, and shot a thumbs up their direction.

Barnaby sighed again, less for the relief of having Agnes out of his personal bubble and more from the fact that the elevator had started taking them back up again. Wasting time was such an annoyance. He reached over to press the ground floor button once more, barely registering the Old Man vociferously doling out the merits of a documentary about his Hero persona. He'd always thought that Kotetsu had the emotional perception of a turnip, but it had been highly thoughtful of him to interject himself just now on Barnaby's behalf. He really hadn't expected such a reaction, hadn't expected Kotetsu to be attuned to his discomfit in the least. But then, the older man did have a lot riding on Barnaby...It somewhat flattened him to think that Kotetsu might see him in the same pragmatic, use-or-be-used way that he himself saw others.

'_Lloyds is going to think I'm abusing the Old Man again_,' he thought, annoyed when he thought of the man's shocked face as Agnes had pushed past him. He'd been so stunned by seeing Barnaby in the apparent act of harming Kotetsu that he hadn't even gotten on the elevator. It made Barnaby uncomfortably aware that he'd better confess everything to Mister Maverick before Lloyds decided to consult him. At least then he would have someone involved who would actually be _helpful_, unlike the Old Man...

"_It would be great_!" Kotetsu finished with a flourish, satisfied that he had successfully boxed Agnes and Cain in the opposite corner to Bunny.

"_No_," she decisively said, irritated by his prattling. Kotetsu was glad she'd refused, because he'd just been rambling random ideas without keeping track, and there was no telling what he'd have been agreeing to with such a thing. "This is a companion piece to the one that aired last month. It was popular enough that we decided to do another - Barnaby - "

"Miss Joubert," Bunny said, sounding calm and confident, as if he'd never once been plagued by a dark thought. He even added his pleasant, indulgent smile that Kotetsu had only ever seen directed at his adoring public. "Tiger and I were going to interrogate the survivor of that church incident. Do we need to wait, or is that suitable for your documentary?"

She considered, holding the elevator doors open when they hit their floor to prevent it from going back down. Finally, she nodded shortly and said, "Cain, call Cooper and tell him to meet you at the hospital. Keep it tasteful like the last one. Call me if anything happens."

"Yep," Cain amiably said, shifting his camera back onto his shoulder.

With a dark look at Kotetsu, she growled, "Don't screw up this time, understand? We almost had nothing left after we cut around you, Tiger."

"Ah, sorry, sorry! Ah, hahahaa..." He gave her a wide grin and slumped with a relieved sigh whenever the elevator moved again.

"She sure is something," Cain offered.

"That's an understatement," Kotetsu muttered, rallying himself to look up at Bunny, who also seemed relieved. "Say, Bunny - "

"Please don't call me that," Barnaby reminded him, mild now, very mindful of the camera. Kotetsu ungenerously thought that _he_ was the only one to see the true side of his partner. Then again, he hadn't exactly done anything to endear himself to the young man...

"Say, do you want me to stick around after work?" Kotetsu offered, anxious on his behalf.

"That's hardly necessary," Barnaby said, unable to show his irritation.

"But, if Mister Saito - "

"Please don't try to be preemptive," Bunny said, cutting him off. "This is hardly the time to discuss this."

They looked as one at Cain, who was doing a bad job of pretending not to tape them.

"Hey, hey, just act natural, remember?" Cain reminded them. "Pretend I'm not even here."

"Sheesh, how can this not annoy you?" Kotetsu asked his partner, wrinkling his nose at the camera.

"At least they ask for permission before they film me," Bunny calmly told him, and strode out of the elevator when the doors opened. "Hurry up, Tiger."

"Ah, yeah," Kotetsu said, hurrying after him, glad at least that Bunny didn't call him Old Man on camera, and some small part of him softly whispering, '_It beats him calling you _Papa...'

Luckily, Cain had to drive himself while they took the bike, so there was no damning footage of Kotetsu's cheeks brilliantly flushed with the embarrassment _that_ particular memory evoked.

* * *

They had to idle around the hospital's lower floor for a little while when they first arrived so that Barnaby could sign autographs. Kotetsu secretly found it all a bit much, but as Tomoe always said, it was a star's job to shine, and Bunny was making Heroes into full-fledged celebrities. If anyone was star material, it was the young man indulgently greeting his adoring public.

'_I just wish that smile was real_,' he thought, flipping through a magazine to occupy his hands while Bunny exchanged flirtatious banter with a small gaggle of teenaged girls who'd seen him all the way from the bus stop. There was no trace of distress, no sign of the deep, seething, dangerous fury that had erupted in front of Kotetsu. '_It's actually kind of creepy_...'

"Touching! The veteran hero looking out for his young rookie partner! Look here, Tiger, sir!"

Startled, Kotetsu caught Cooper arriving, his camera already pointed at him.

"You watch him so closely, Tiger, sir! Say, Mister Barnaby, sir, do you consider Tiger like an adoptive father?"

"Certainly," Barnaby lied, giving Cooper a pleasant smile as he approached with Cain trailing behind, a little crowd of starstruck fans maintaining a distance. "Tiger is my senior, and his experience is very valuable."

"Tch, what a crock..."

Those green eyes landed on him, filled with false calm and growing indignation.

"Er...I mean, of _course_ I take care of Bunny!" Kotetsu said, returning that warning gaze with his own earnest one. "All I ever want is for him to be the best possible Hero he's able to be!"

"Haha! Ah! Mister Barnaby is already amazing!" Cain said, chuckling. "But it's always good to take care of your partner!"

"Shall we go interrogate our criminal?" Barnaby asked, the only effective change of subject he could manage under the circumstances. Without waiting for an answer, he led the way to the ICU where their man was still housed.

Franklin Alvarez Huber was riddled with tubes, covered with blankets, and cuffed to his bed with an officer on attendance who looked relieved to see them.

"You guys here to take custody?"

"No, we're merely here to question him," Barnaby said, moving over to admit Cooper and Cain. Kotetsu trailed behind, a little annoyed by the circus this outing had become, by how far from his original intent it had strayed, like most ideas he had. "Is he considered dangerous enough to require this?"

"Er...it's that scary fellow with the blue flame," the officer admitted. "The brass doesn't want him to bust in after this guy and make the whole effort for nothing."

"Hey," Kotetsu said, getting his attention. "It wasn't for _nothing_. Rock Bison saved this man's life. That's _something_, isn't it?"

The officer looked down at the glowering criminal, shrugged, and said, "If you say so, Mister Tiger, sir."

He left then, an annoyed Kotetsu watching him go. "Sheesh, no one believes that saving lives means anything anymore..."

"Perhaps he isn't as interested in saving a criminal as he is in saving an innocent civilian," Barnaby offered, still not understanding the Old Man's insistent stance on that particular belief.

"People are _people_," Kotetsu flared, irritated. "How can you always be so calm about someone dying, Bunny, _eh_?"

"Perhaps there are better times to discuss our divergent values, Old Man," Barnaby tightly warned, reminding Kotetsu of the cameras. He looked down at the man in the bed, at Franklin Huber, and said with a trace of weary boredom, "What can you tell us about the crime syndicate Ouroboros?"

To his annoyance, for some reason the man was laughing, only it was coming out in such a raspy, harsh way that at first Barnaby mistook it for coughing.

"I know...know you," the man rasped, and the laugh _did_ turn into a cough then, deep and wracking.

"I should hope so, I'm one of the Heroes who participated in your arrest," Barnaby said, frowning softly but very aware that he was being filmed.

"Ha ha...he...he sure did..." the man coughed some more, eyes rolling up a little in pain. "He sure did have fun with _you_..."

Barnaby drew back with a sharp sound of shock, almost backing into Kotetsu.

"Shut those off," Kotetsu said, turning to Cain and Cooper with his hand spread to try and block their shot. "Shut them off and go wait outside."

"But Tiger, sir - "

"_Now_," he quietly ordered, and was serious enough that they left without further comment.

Barnaby stared down at the man in the hospital bed, spots swirling before his eyes. In a tight, soft voice, he asked, "What did you just say?"

The man coughed again, grinning to see the Hero so disconcerted, and said in his harsh, raspy voice, "What was it, kid, six, seven years ago? Eh? You think I wouldn't recognize you? Pretty distinctive, pretty boy..."

"Bunny," Kotetsu softly said, moving to brace him up when he swayed, but the young man righted himself almost instantly. "Say, Bunny, come on, now. If he knew you from somewhere, he would've tried to say something before now..."

"Haha, only if I wanted him to kill me," Franklin said, gasping for breath and shifting with discomfort from his wounds. "You got him...got him wrapped around that finger of yours, eh?"

"Who?" Barnaby asked, leaning over the bed to clench his hands on the railing. "Who are you talking about?! What's his name?"

"That...that bastard!" Franklin said, wheezing in pain. "He set us up, I know it! That hideout was supposed to be _safe_!"

"_What's his name_?" Barnaby demanded, frantic. "Tell me! Does he have something to do with Ouroboros?"

Franklin grinned, blood staining his teeth pink in a macabre show of delight at the young man's panic.

"I don't know his name," he managed, his rheumy blue eyes fastening on Barnaby's own wide, anxious ones. "But I never forget a face, kid. Yeah...six years ago. Six years ago I saw you there, and boy oh boy was I glad you didn't get your hands on _me_..."

Bunny drew back so sharply that he _did_ slam into Kotetsu, who grabbed him automatically and stabilized him, worriedly asking, "Bunny? Hey, you okay? Bunny?"

"My God, what is happening to me?" Barnaby asked, horrified to his core that some awful, criminal stranger _recognized_ him from years ago, and from the sounds of it he'd been doing something along the lines of what he'd done to Kotetsu. "_What is happening to me_?!"

"Bunny, take it easy," Kotetsu said, pulling him away from the bedside to put himself between his partner and the man in the bed. He wasn't entirely sure what the young man might do, but considering his temper, it probably would be fairly hard to excuse. To the chuckling, wounded man, he said, "Hey, you, where were you when you saw him? Do you remember?"

Franklin's eyes fluttered as he lost the battle with his pain. On a soft exhale, he murmured, "Gold Level..."


	15. Attaching

Franklin Huber slid into a drug-assisted sleep, which left him as nothing more than a useless bundle on a bed, as far as Barnaby was concerned. He stayed leaning against the wall in a mire of shock and confusion, left with more questions than answers.

Kotetsu, who usually had the gullibility of an affable dog, was for some reason reluctant to put any store in what that man had said.

"He's had time to lay here and think of something to say," the Old Man told him, standing so that his slim frame blocked Barnaby's view of the bed. "Listen, Bunny, he might just be pulling your leg to get a reaction - "

"The timing is right," Barnaby said, feeling stunned and lost. He'd always been so certain of his path, so sure of his actions, but here in the last few days he'd been so turned around that he didn't know up from down anymore. It was terrifying to feel so helpless, to be so alone in the world that he didn't have anyone to seek help from.

Except for the Old Man, the only other person he could consider was, once again, his adoptive father, Albert Maverick.

"Six years ago, I would've been eighteen," Barnaby said, some small part of him grateful for Kotetsu's tight grip on his shoulders. It was grounding somehow, a solid reminder that he wasn't going to be sucked away into his own confusion. He never imagined that the older man would be any sort of anchor for him, but he was too grateful in that moment to dismiss it. "He said the Gold Level, Old Man, didn't he? You heard him, right?"

"Bunny..." Kotetsu said, searching his pale, strained face. He saw no sign of anything but concentrated, frantic contemplation, and sighed in resignation, telling him, "He's going to be out for some time, Bunny. We'll come back later. He's not going anywhere, is he? Not with that policeman here. It's okay, Bunny. I'll help you, okay? We're going to find this person, I promise."

He tried to pull Barnaby out of the corner, but the younger man resisted, shaking his head to clear his cluttered thoughts and insisting, "_No_! We'll wait here until he wakes!"

"Bunny, we _can't_," Kotetsu told him. "Even Heroes have to obey the hospital rules, yeah? Come on. Come on..."

"What do you think he saw me doing?" Barnaby asked, and the raw pain and confusion in that question made Kotetsu pause for a moment, fighting the urge to hug the poor kid and tell him those gentle, well-meaning lies people always uttered at times like these. But he owed Bunny more than that, so much more than that.

"I think he saw you being hurt by someone who should have protected you," Kotetsu quietly told him, catching those frantic green eyes with his own, willing the younger man to find some measure of trust to rely on him. "I think he saw something happen that never should have, and that whatever it was, it has nothing to do with _you_, Bunny."

"Old Man," Barnaby whispered, managing to get slight control of himself. "How much of my life do you think is a lie?"

Kotetsu ached with the force of his compassion, but all he could do was sadly shake his head and honestly tell him, "I just don't know..."

* * *

It wasn't the world's best timing, but a Call came through, and with an emergency to deal with, Barnaby was able to shut the horror away and concentrate on the matter at hand. Part of him was starkly terrified that his ability to compartmentalize and shut away huge pieces of himself was somewhat due to what that person was doing to him...or else deliberately ingrained in him to make him more easily controlled...

Saito met them at the hospital entrance with the transporter and the two men hurriedly entered, undressing and slipping their thin sensor-suits on. Though it was routine, Kotetsu was relieved that Bunny didn't balk at undressing around him. He'd done his best to act normally around the poor brat, and for the most part he considered it a success. What happened back at his house was merely a way to obtain proof, that was all. It wasn't as if there were feelings or other intentions lurking beneath the surface to complicate things...right?

"_...resume filming tomorrow_," Agnes was saying to them, and opened the channel to all of the other heroes as Kotetsu and Barnaby stepped into the suiting machine. "_The emergency call came from the Sixth district on Bronze level_."

"Bronze level?" Kotetsu echoed, surprised. He grit his teeth as the machine snapped his suit over his head, wrenching his ears the other direction. He was starting to think he wouldn't have any left, if it kept up like this. "You don't normally bother with crimes on that level."

"A business associate of the Seven Corporations has been kidnapped and taken there," Agnes briskly said. "Get her back without incident. We need a political win, not a loss."

"Yes ma'am," he said in tandem with Bunny, vastly relieved to hear the young man's voice was fairly normal-sounding. He shoved his helmet on and flipped the visor up in time to see Saito whispering something to Bunny, his small hands gesturing as he explained. "Eh? What's going on?"

'_I've gotten that item ready for Mister Barnaby_,' Saito whispered. '_It's there for you when you change back, Barnaby_.'

"Thank you, Mister Saito," Barnaby said, relieved. He didn't fancy wearing a cup under his regular clothes, which would be both awkward and uncomfortable, but it certainly beat the alternative.

'_I hope the two of you can solve this problem_,' Saito said, blinking owlishly. '_Please let me know if I can help any other way_.'

"Just that is enough," Kotetsu told him, grinning widely. "Now Bunny won't have to w - "

Barnaby knocked his gloved, suited fist into Kotetsu's chest and warned, "Mind what you say, Old Man."

"Ah! Sorry, sorry, hahaha, sorry," he said, contrite, and moved his fingers across his lips like he was zipping them.

Barnaby glowered at him a moment longer, then bounded out of the transport towards their bike, breezing through a small gaggle of onlookers who'd come to gawk at the transport and wait for the Heroes to emerge.

"Hey, _wait_, Bunny! Wait up!" Kotetsu shouted, stumbling down and after him, making awkward apologies to the people he bumped into. "Wait, I said!"

He managed to scramble into the sidecar before Bunny accelerated, and settled in with a pondering stare at the younger man.

"Please stop, Old Man," Bunny ordered. He turned his head a little, his face masked behind the familiar contours of his helmet, and said, "I can feel you staring at me."

"Usually your visor is up until we get where we're going," Kotetsu observed, frowning. The wind tried teasing his little eye mask off and he hurriedly adjusted it. "Say, Bunny, do you feel better hiding like that?"

"Please don't try to psychoanalyze me," Bunny said, for once not deeply offended. After a long moment of zooming them towards their destination, he added, "I don't think I've regained my equilibrium entirely. I feel less exposed with the visor down."

"You've had a lot of shocks recently," Kotetsu responded, all teasing aside. "You know, Bunny, it wouldn't hurt you to rely on me a little. I know I've betrayed your trust, but my intentions were only to help you, however things wound up."

"Please hold your tongue, Old Man," Bunny said.

"I mean it," Kotetsu insisted, leaning up in the sidecar just a bit to see Bunny's profile more clearly. "You aren't alone anymore, Bunny."

Barnaby stopped the bike so suddenly that cars swerved to avoid them, blaring their horns. Kotetsu grabbed onto the frame of the sidecar, yelping, glad that the weight of his suit kept him from being thrown from the bike entirely.

"Why would you think that having you is preferable to being alone?" Barnaby asked, the impersonal mask of his suit angled down to look at Kotetsu's shock-slackened face. "Why would you assume that I'd want your dubious company or your help?"

"W...no, it's just that..." Kotetsu stammered, only good on the defensive when it came to combat. "I mean, you're alone, aren't you, Bunny? Without your fam - "

"This subject is not up for discussion," Barnaby informed him, and even through his suit Kotetsu could feel his tension. "You're the last person in the world that anyone would want or need, Old Man. I can handle things alone. I've _always_ handled things alone."

"But...you don't have t - "

"_I prefer it that way_," Barnaby shortly told him, growing more upset when he accidentally blurted out the truth with, "_People always vanish the moment you need them most_!"

Kotetsu stared up at him, his deep eyes filling with sad understanding. Softly, he said, "Bunny, I..."

"This has nothing to do with you," Barnaby said, struggling to bring himself under control, embarrassed for having admitted that most fundamental truth of his life - everyone leaves. The moment you start to depend on them, they vanish without a trace, ripping loose the foundation you'd started to rely on. It was _dangerous_ to trust others, dangerous to consider them anything other than pawns to be carefully spent. Any attachment, emotional or otherwise, was doomed to failure and ruin.

It simply wasn't worth the pain to even bother.

"That's a pretty sad outlook, Bunny," Kotetsu quietly observed, deeply disturbed by it. "Your parents didn't want to l - "

"_Shut up_!" Barnaby snarled, and actually grabbed him by the lip of his suit to drag him up. "If you say _one more word_ \- "

"_Bonjour_, Heroes," Agnes said, cutting into their communication, effectively putting an end to things as they stood. "The helicopters are in the sky. We'll begin airing immediately."

There was a chorus of agreement loud enough to hide the fact that Kotetsu and Barnaby did not reply.


	16. Persevering

They didn't get the points.

Barnaby was quietly furious about it, but was fair enough to admit that he owned the larger share of their teamwork being off. Despite Kotetsu's honest attempts to compliment his style, Barnaby's own lack of attention affected his timing and they wound up losing to Sky High. Oh, they got the small fry, those low-level lackeys who didn't even count for much, but Barnaby, as always, wanted the spotlight. The more attention he garnered, the better the chances that some member of Ouroboros would emerge in an attempt to silence him.

Barnaby got to the bike before the fanfare of press could arrive, not wanting to be filmed as a bit player in the rescue. It galled him that he'd lost to a rival, that he'd missed an opportunity for Apollon as well as his parents, but there was nothing for it.

"Say, we at least got a few points this time, eh, Bunny?" Kotetsu asked, going through the awkward motions of getting into the sidecar. His bulky suit worked against his natural clumsiness sometimes, and he might've fallen to one side had Barnaby not snagged him by the arm and dragged him up.

"It was a fiasco from the start," Barnaby sighed, rapidly putting distance between himself and the crowded docks where they'd run the kidnappers to ground. It would be a forty-five minute drive back to Gold level where the transporter was parked. Mister Saito had been needed back in his lab and couldn't meet them any closer.

"Say, Bunny, don't worry," Kotetsu told him, grinning brightly. It was as if that man had a limitless well of good humor somewhere, like no circumstance had ever affected him adversely. Barnaby envied him that, envied a life free of loss and darkness. "You actually saved that guy's life, stepping in front of the other gunman like that."

"I didn't see him," Barnaby said, making the Old Man scowl. "I thought the victim was further in."

"...ah..." Kotetsu said, slumping into the sidecar. He'd honestly thought that maybe Bunny was starting to change for the better, to change his attitude that points mattered more than human lives. So much for _that_. "Say, did you want me to - "

"No."

"But you didn't even - "

"There's nothing you can do to help right now," Bunny informed him, and that was the end of the conversation.

Kotetsu worriedly subsided. Bunny had every reason to be acting out of sorts, every reason to be easily upset and provoked, the older man just wished he had a way to relieve him. There wasn't much else he could do, though. Bunny had the Kevlar thing to wear now, yet...

'_I'll go see that guy again if I can_,' Kotetsu decided, thinking that maybe he could find out if the man was lying or not. He didn't like to think that someone had been so careless with Bunny that he'd taken the kid out in public as a mindless doll. He hoped that the man was lying, but he'd have to make sure of his facts before broaching the subject with Barnaby. He didn't fancy having his head bitten off again...

After a long drive in awkward silence, they arrived back at Justice Tower and pulled around the back into the gated area where the transporter was parked.

"Say, Bunny, are you okay for now?" Kotetsu asked, managing to escape the sidecar before his partner drove the bike up the ramp and into the back of the massive bus. "Bunny?"

"Please don't concern yourself with me," Barnaby told him, and vanished inside to lock the bike in and change.

"How could you say something like that?" Kotetsu asked over the open channel, using the door like a civilized person and clunking into the changing room where their clothes were. He heard the slight noises over the speakers of Bunny locking the bike into place and kept his helmet on to see if the younger man would reply. "I'm your partner, aren't I? I wasn't lying at the hospital, Bunny. I want to see you excel."

"Old Man, you'd do better to focus on your own work," Bunny informed him, coming in through the automatic door and pulling his helmet off. "I said I would handle things alone until I need you and I meant it."

Kotetsu scowled at him, dragging the pieces of his own suit off. He was frustrated and unhappy that Bunny wouldn't let him in even a little. The heavy weight of his thoughts actually focused him enough that he got out of his suit without difficulty, settling the pieces in the return cradle hardly the worse for wear. Bunny, always quicker than he was, rapidly undressed down to his naked skin and headed for the small shower station provided at his insistence. The suits had a cooling system that helped, but even that didn't prevent a layer of sweat from forming underneath the tight grip of their under suit.

Reluctant to intrude on Bunny in such a vulnerable state, Kotetsu dawdled as long as he reasonably could before joining him in the showers. Barnaby affected not to notice, which relieved him somewhat but didn't altogether eliminate the embarrassment of remembering the younger man breathless in his bed. He knew none of those memories would be healthy for Bunny, but they plagued him now when confronted by Bunny's perfect, nude form.

Ashamed of himself, Kotetsu turned sideways into the spray, his back to Barnaby, who merely said, "You needn't go to such lengths on my account, Old Man. Didn't I tell you that this was your punishment?"

"Bunny..."

"Look all you want," Barnaby said, a thread of heat in his voice. "If it bothers you at all, then more to the good. I _want_ you to be bothered when you look at me, after all. Provided it's for the right reasons, Old Man."

Blushing, Kotetsu admitted, "I'm not sure if it is."

He expected to get hit again, or heatedly chewed out. He actually braced for it, but after a long, motionless moment he finally chanced to look at Bunny and found the young man staring at him intently over the partition.

"Er...yeah?"

"Are you saying that you're attracted to me?" Bunny asked, deadly calm.

"_No_! No, no, haha! No, of course not! No," Kotetsu firmly denied, waving his hands in mock surrender. "No, Bunny, not that! It's just that...well...some things you just can't forget, even if you want to."

Barnaby recoiled, and a deep, ugly voice murmured to him, '_It's because you did such a thing to him, isn't it? Who _wouldn't_ want to forget such an awful incident? At least _you_ have someone erasing your memories, but the Old Man has to live with what you did to him_...'

"Bunny?" Kotetsu asked, alarmed whenever the young man abruptly shut off the shower and stepped out, drying himself with short, sharp movements that made the muscles in his toned young body play prettily beneath his pale skin.

Kotetsu immediately directed his attention to the tile wall, wondering what on earth he'd managed to say that would've offended his partner so deeply. He ruefully figured that he shouldn't have told Bunny that. After all, who wants to hear that the person who took advantage of them was still struggling to forget the amazing sight of them naked and excited? It was probably the most offensive thing he _could_ have said to Bunny, mentioning that those memories of him were hard to forget.

"Damn it, Kotetsu," he breathed, hearing Bunny slamming his things around in the changing room. "One of these days, will you learn to keep your mouth shut? Eh?"

* * *

Barnaby dressed quickly and headed out, not even caring that his hair was going to air dry into a tousled mess. He didn't want to be there when Kotetsu emerged, didn't want to see those amber eyes look at him with pity and remorse. It bothered him so much that he felt sick again, but he managed to wait until he got to the relative privacy of his car before he allowed the shaking to surface. What the Old Man had said in there was like salt in a wound, forcing him to acknowledge once more that he wasn't the only wronged party between them. He'd never given a thought to how the older man would feel having to be around him in such situations. After all, if that last time was simply for proof, as Kotetsu had claimed, and executed with care simply to spare him the sight of himself forcing Kotetsu, then the reality of the situation was...

He pressed his forehead to the wheel, forcing himself to breathe deeply. He couldn't handle this on his own and it was both presumptuous and cruel to involve Kotetsu any more than he already had. The only other recourse he had was to confide in Mister Maverick and seek what help the man was willing to provide.

Momentarily able to focus on something else, he started the car and pulled off into traffic, hoping that the late hour would find Mister Maverick safely at home.

* * *

Still rather flattened by his argument with Bunny, Kotetsu drove home to his empty house, briefly considered making himself something to eat, then opted for a beer instead.

"That bratty kid, wanting to everything by himself," he sighed, concentrating on that fact to avoid his guilt on other counts. "Ah, well, he can't decide what I do on my own."

He felt a little ashamed of himself considering how many times Barnaby had scolded him not to insert himself into the affairs of others, but he felt that this was too big of an issue to ignore. Carefully scrolling through the contacts on his phone, he found the number of a police detective he'd been friendly with while at Top Mag, and hit the call button.

"Hey, this is Simon."

"Ah, Simon! Hi! Hey, it's Tiger," he said, automatically using his Hero name.

"Tiger, hey! I saw that job you did with those moving statue things, wow what a trip!"

"Ah, haha! Yeah, that sure was amazing!" Kotetsu said, forcing the laughter as he usually did. "Say, I know it's been awhile, but could I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, of course! I'm always happy to help a Hero," Simon reminded him. "What can I do for you?"

"Er...recently there was a criminal arrested," Kotetsu said, unsure how to make the request. "It turns out he may be associated with someone my partner is interested in finding."

"Barnaby, eh?" Simon asked, sounding suitably impressed. "I can't imagine him needing help with much, but okay, I'm game. What's this guy's name?"

"Franklin Alvarez Huber," Kotetsu said, hoping he'd remembered correctly. "He was arrested during that church incident in connection to a crime ring. If you can find out anything about his associates, I'd really appreciate it."

"Sure, no problem," Simon told him. "I've got a few trainees who aren't good for much other than research. This is perfect for them. This a good number to reach you?"

"Yeah! Any time, day or night," Kotetsu said, relieved that he might be able to find out something of merit. "It's really important, so I don't mind you calling the minute you find something, okay?"

"Will do," Simon said. "Take it easy, Tiger. You're not a kid anymore, not like that kid they paired you with, eh?"

"Ah! Hahaha! Ha! Yeah, that's for sure!" he joked, his laughter slowly fading as the other man hung up.

No, he wasn't young anymore. He was just an old man trying to redeem himself to a kid who'd been dealt tragedy after tragedy in his cards. If he could manage to tip the balance even a little in Bunny's favor, then he'd count it as a win.

"Is there any way to fix this, Tomoe?" he asked, picking up a picture of the pair of them at the beach. It was one of his favorites because it had been taken before she'd gotten ill, before they'd known there was something eating away at her from the inside, slowly killing her. She looked happy, _ecstatic_. She looked completely at ease in his arms as if she'd never once worried he might drop her. He'd never had that same level of trust from anyone else in his life and he doubted that he ever would. "Ah, sheesh, you always look the same, and here I am getting old...I sure wish you were here, yeah? You'd know the best thing to do to help him, that poor brat."

He smiled then, thinking that she'd scold him for messing up so seriously, and tell him to do exactly what he was doing right now - help Barnaby whether he wanted help or not.


	17. Cracking

**A/N: So, spoilers. If you haven't watched Tiger and Bunny (in which event I can't imagine you'd be reading this) then you need to quickly go through all 25 episodes and come back. No seriously, do that. In the original Japanese to get the full effect of the characters because it's important. So, that aside, if you know the OMG BIG SECRET then continue on ahead!**

* * *

It was with great trepidation that Barnaby entered the gate that surrounded the mansion where he had, in essence, been raised. After the murder of his parents and a brief legal maneuver to make himself Barnaby's legal guardian , Albert Maverick had brought him right to this very house, right to this very door before he'd even been five years old. Even now the memory of the man so warmly telling him, "You're not alone, Barnaby," right here on this very stoop had the power to make him pause. Nothing he could ever do would repay Mister Maverick for the kindness and compassion he'd shown Barnaby as a child. Though he'd been more of an instructor than a father, Mister Maverick had lavishly spent to send his young ward to the best and most prestigious boarding schools, had paid to have only the most highly-recommended tutors and nannies to tend to him until he was older. There was no aspect of Barnaby's life that Mister Maverick had not directly influenced for the better, and the debt the young man owed him was so vast that there was simply no repaying it.

That's what made this visit so terribly, awfully hard.

He didn't have to ring the bell, but he did so anyway out of respect, smiling slightly when one of the live-in maids answered the door.

"Mister Barnaby! You got lucky, sir, he's in his office upstairs," she said, smiling in genuine delight to see him. She among many others had been there at the fringes of his life as he'd grown up here, silent and capable people dutifully caring for this massive house and its two inhabitants. "Go right on up."

Had it been Samantha, he knew, she would've asked him if he was well, would've remarked on how tired and strained he looked. But Mister Maverick didn't stand on sentiment and considered professional disposition to outweigh that of emotional disposition. Though he'd been surrounded by people, Barnaby had quickly learned as a child to be self-reliant and composed. The subtle, underlying feeling he'd always gotten was that this was no more his home than the moon was - he'd been another productive asset in the well-oiled machine of this house and he'd never forgotten that.

He silently mounted the marble stairs and trailed the familiar landing to the huge double doors of Mister Maverick's office. It always gave him a pang of nostalgia to see those massive doors and remember the way that the tall, smiling man would always rise to welcome him, no matter the hour.

He knocked once, a sharp rap on the painted wood.

"Come in, Barnaby," Maverick called, and Barnaby never questioned how the man always knew it was him. It was simply another aspect of life in this beautiful museum.

"Mister Maverick," he said, letting himself in and closing the door behind him. The familiar office had a calming effect on him, loosening the tight knot of his tension.

"You seem upset," Maverick said, rising from behind his desk to come closer, peering into Barnaby's face. There'd been times as a younger boy that Barnaby had resented these inspections, had felt like a horse on a sale block, but the older he got the more he assigned it as Maverick's unique way of showing that some part of him actually considered Barnaby a son of sorts. The man had always spoken of raising Barnaby in the same breath as responsibility to his best friends, moral duty to an orphan, charitable contribution to better the life of a child left without resources in the world - but never had he spoken of affection or a genuine desire to be a father to an impressionable and affection-starved young child. Life as a piece of this house, shuttled from one top-notch boarding school to the other, was what had taught Barnaby the hardest and most valuable lessons he'd ever learned.

Take care of yourself first. Look out for your own interests. Relying on others was simply a costly mistake.

"Sir, I...I'm sorry, but I've come here with some very distressing things to confess," Barnaby said, allowing Maverick to guide him to one of the plush chairs in front of his desk. He sat in half-collapse, wearied by the weight of what plagued him. "Sir...I..."

"Barnaby," Maverick said, smiling expansively at him and resuming his seat behind the desk. "If there is something troubling you, something you feel I can help you with, you know you have only to tell me and I will take care of it for you."

"I...yes, sir," Barnaby said. He took a deep breath, and recounted the events of the last few days with growing detachment until it almost felt like it had happened to someone else. Maverick never interrupted him, never asked any questions; he merely let Barnaby speak and get it all out like a vile, killing poison.

"Well," he finally said once Barnaby had fallen silent. "That is a troubling set of circumstances. You say that Mister Kaburagi is helping you, now, despite the assault?"

"Yes, sir, at my request, though I doubt he'll be much help," Barnaby admitted.

"And that this Huber person said he recognized you?" Maverick asked to confirm, saying absently, "I was under the impression that he'd died shortly after his arrival at the hospital..."

"He said he'd seen me here on Gold Level," Barnaby recounted. "Doing something very...upsetting. Sir, I am sorry to dump this on you, but it is very unsettling to think that someone has been manipulating me since I was so young. Please, sir, is there anyone you can think of whom I've come into contact with?"

Maverick sighed a little, rubbing his chin. "Unfortunately, no, Barnaby. I can't think of anyone. But you say you've taken measures?"

"Yes, sir," Barnaby said, blinking hard to clear his frustrated, frightened tears. "Kotetsu suggested I wear a Kevlar cup and Mister Saito was kind enough to fashion something for me."

"I find the idea of this..._trigger_ vastly disturbing," Maverick said, frowning. "In all honesty, I find the whole thing vastly disturbing. Barnaby, you've been under quite a lot of stress recently, haven't you?"

"It's fine, sir," Barnaby automatically said, denying any weakness from habit, avoiding any admission of his growing desire to find someone who could help him be stronger than he was on his own. "I'm still processing the idea that I've been abused by someone for so long without realizing it."

Maverick shifted and hit a buzzer on his desk, saying, "Marta, bring up some sugared milk tea for Barnaby and get his room prepared."

"Yes, Sir..."

"I shouldn't impose, Sir," Barnaby protested, all the while deeply relieved that his adoptive father hadn't abandoned him from sheer horror at what he was capable of. "I wish I could tell you that I will solve this, Mister Maverick, Sir, but the truth is that I'm just not sure."

"I will arrange an investigation into this Huber fellow's past, discreetly of course," Maverick told him. "Barnaby, considering everything that has happened, I think it's for the best if you consent to seeing a therapist. This amount of mental strain has to be taking its toll on you."

"If you insist, Sir, but _only_ if you insist," Barnaby said, starting a little when Marta arrived with the hot milk tea. He waited until she'd put it down and left before he continued. "I'm afraid the show leaves me very little time as it stands, and I'm still searching for my parents' murderer."

Maverick politely dropped the sugar cubes in for him, stirred it with the little silver spoon, and handed the cup to Barnaby. "If we allow things to continue as they stand, Barnaby, you may miss more opportunities on the show due to stress. I do think it would be for the best if you see someone. I'll arrange something immediately."

"Thank you for the trouble, Sir," Barnaby said, draining the cup in a few swallows. He felt strangely out of sorts and suddenly very tired. Almost without meaning to, he said, "I feel as if I'm losing my mind, Mister Maverick, Sir. I'm not even sure who I am anymore..."

"Ah, Barnaby," Maverick sighed, coming around his desk to clasp Barnaby's shoulders. With an indecipherable look on his face, he ruffled Barnaby's curly hair and sighed, "Life has been very unkind to you, for all of your fortunes. I wonder now, as I always have, just how many times I can change the memories in that bright head of yours before the cracks shatter all the way to the surface."

The room began to slowly spin with Maverick's face at the center, benign and smiling gently at him as he struggled to understand what was happening.

"You've been the most interesting, vastly surprising, and intriguing experiment I've ever conducted," Maverick murmured. "Hopefully you won't crack this time, Barnaby. I am sorry to have to do this to someone with so much potential, but if one trigger has been discovered, then the others aren't far behind."

Reeling with shock and horror, Barnaby slowly slumped down into the chair with his eyes rolling back in his head as the man who'd raised him began to change his memories once more.

* * *

Kotetsu was really surprised to see Bunny the next day. Not that it was strange to find him at work, no - it was the fact that Barnaby was calm, well-rested, and seemed relievingly free of the pressure that had so affected him.

"Say, Bunny, you look like you're feeling well," he ventured, moving to sit down at his desk, his attention trained on his young partner. "Did something happen? _Did you find him_?!"

"No, I haven't, Old Man," Barnaby told him, directing those cool green eyes to his. "I went to see Mister Maverick last night and confessed the whole situation to him."

"Ah...oh...I see," Kotetsu said, still wondering how it explained Bunny's change in disposition. "It's just that you look so relieved, I thought something might've happened."

"It _is_ a relief to have someone competent and capable on my side," Barnaby said, somewhat bothered by the way the Old Man deflated at that comment, which he realized had been an unnecessary force of habit. While not exactly capable, the man _was_ trying his hardest to help, even if it inconvenienced the people around him. It was better than him actively being in the way, anyway. Less aggressively, he explained, "Mister Maverick is having an investigation done by a private detective to get details on Huber. He also insisted I go through a course of therapy to help stabilize my temperament."

"Ah...I'm really glad, Bunny," Kotetsu said, earnestly meaning it. His own efforts to look into Huber were probably pointless now, but he was glad that his partner was getting the help he needed to deal with what was happening to him. "I'm really, really glad..."

"I appreciate that, Old Man," Barnaby said, unable to shake this stiff formality that had grown up around his interactions with Kotetsu. Every time he started to relax a little, he'd remember that video of himself ripping the poor man's clothes off and holding him down in the locker room, rapidly followed by what Kotetsu had said in the transporter yesterday.

'.._.some things you just can't forget, even if you want to_...'

And he'd had the nerve to ask Kotetsu if he was _attracted_ to him!

"Say, why are you flushed, Bunny?" Kotetsu asked, concerned. "Are you getting sick again? Do you have a fever?"

"It's none of your concern," Barnaby informed him, shuffling his papers nervously. He gaped in shock whenever the older man reached over and pressed one calloused palm to his forehead, sweeping back his bangs. "Eh...Old Man?"

Frowning, Kotetsu said, "Hm, not feverish. Are you sure you're feeling as well as you seem?"

"Yes," Barnaby answered, carefully taking the man's wrist and pushing his hand back. Kotetsu looked at his own hand like it wasn't even part of him, paled slightly, and rapidly withdrew to his seat to shove his nose into his work. "Honestly! It isn't as if you have the least idea when someone has a fever, anyway!"

"Ah..." Kotetsu mumbled, reluctantly thinking of all the times he'd checked little Kaede's forehead as a baby, of all the times he'd surreptitiously pressed his wrist to Tomoe's skin on those rare occasions when she'd come home from a stint in the hospital. "You're right, Bunny. Sorry."

"Please don't mention it," Barnaby said, meaning it. "I feel fine. I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Mister Maverick really put me at ease on the subject and I'm certain we'll both find the culprit as well as unravel whatever mental snares he's managed to give me."

"I'm glad he was able to do that for you, Bunny," Kotetsu said, subdued. He hadn't at all intended to do what he'd just done. He'd merely wanted to check Bunny's temperature, but instead he'd realized he'd done exactly the same thing to his partner in the gym that day when he'd pushed those sweaty curls away from Bunny's face to see his eyes more clearly. On the heels of that came _other_ unspeakable memories to remind him that he was absolutely no longer allowed anywhere inside the bubble of Bunny's space. Now if he could just remember that was the case...

"It really is a relief," Barnaby said again, somewhat dismayed to think that Kotetsu had suddenly recalled that he'd been abused by the very person he'd reached out to just now. Perhaps there really wasn't a way to repair the rift between them? As angry as he'd been with the Old Man, how could he expect any less resentment on the other's part for what he himself had done? It threatened his newfound equilibrium enough to make him nervous. "Mister Maverick said he would handle things quietly. He told me to continue using the item that Mister Saito made and to report to him whenever I suffered from a migraine. He also said that I should activate the locator on my phone to record all of my traveling activity."

"So he didn't have any ideas about who was doing this to you?" Kotetsu asked, chancing to look at him. All of his genuine interest in his partner's plight, all of his determination to help got screened behind the unwelcome observation that Barnaby was as handsome as everyone claimed he was. It wasn't appropriate to the situation, wasn't remotely professional, but Kotetsu couldn't exactly go around not looking at him, and he certainly couldn't help noticing the picture the younger man presented. The harsh office lights made Bunny seem even more pale, threw his glittering green eyes into shadows and his soft mouth into high relief. Had those lips _really_ devoured his own? It didn't seem possible seeing him as he was now. The Barnaby sitting next to him was not the kind of man to ever drown someone in kisses...

"The suspect pool is simply too large at this point," Barnaby said, pushing his glasses up his nose when he felt Kotetsu's intense scrutiny. He glanced over and caught a split second of disbelief and confusion on the Old Man's face before Kotetsu covered it with a wide smile. He'd never considered it before, but he was beginning to think that his partner was hiding quite a lot behind his easy grins and carefree manner. Perhaps the Peter Pan reference was actually off by a margin. "He'll narrow it down in no time, I'm sure. The only worry is that in doing so, he'll send the culprit into hiding. Though it would put an end to what's happening to me, neither one of us wants him to go unpunished."

"No, we don't," Kotetsu agreed, and Barnaby stopped himself from correcting the man's assumption that he meant the pair of them instead of himself and Mister Maverick. "Say, Bunny, what all did you tell him, though?"

"I didn't implicate you in a crime, if that's what you're worried about," Barnaby said, annoyed with him.

"Ah, no, I..." Kotetsu stammered, genuinely taken aback. "No, it's not that. I was going to say that you shouldn't mention what happened in the gym to him, if you haven't yet. There's no sense in him knowing all of that, is there?"

'_Why on earth does he do this_?' Barnaby wondered, surprised that Kotetsu was worried about his standing with their employer, with the man who'd raised him.

"You should worry more about protecting yourself," Barnaby said, swallowing hard to dislodge the tight knot of tension that had formed in his chest. "Or have you forgotten what you did to me at your house?"

Kotetsu cringed, looking so abashed that Barnaby promptly told him, "As it stands, Mister Maverick said that to any discerning viewer, that particular instance would appear as a consensual encounter, so you don't have to worry."

Kotetsu waved his hand dismissively, saying, "We both know it wasn't. I'd swear that to a judge. You didn't tell him about the gym, though?"

"He knew," Barnaby said, wondering why Kotetsu was so terribly worried about it. "Mister Lloyds sent him a message regarding it after he saw us in the elevator."

"Damn," Kotetsu darkly muttered, stymied. "He shouldn't have seen that. Still, I guess it made him aware that something seriously wrong is happening to you and that it isn't just a case of nerves or something..."

"Old Man," Barnaby said, feeling guilty when Kotetsu turned to face him with the faint, yellowing remnants of those bruises still on his face.

"Eh? What is it, Bunny?" Kotetsu asked, curious now because of the way Barnaby was looking at him, which was a mixture of regret, uncertainty, and something that Kotetsu might have imagined was longing of a sort. Longing for connection, maybe, or maybe just longing to mend the growing gap between them.

Barnaby wanted to apologize, but pride held him back along with the surety that Kotetsu was as much in the wrong as he himself was. He wanted to thank the Old Man for at least trying, but was still too torn by guilt and anger to do so. There was no point in forgiveness, was there? There was no point in either one of them apologizing for anything, despite how awful they both were.

So, instead of anything else, Barnaby just calmly said, "Do your work properly," and turned his attention to the task at hand until Agnes collected him to start filming once more.


	18. Confronting

**So, sorry if this is getting dull for you guys. There was more of this story I really wanted to explore so I'm going to go ahead. Thank you to everyone who reads this, lurkers included, and a special thank you to those who leave me feedback!**

* * *

The second documentary went as well as the first and was an uneventful day of Barnaby charming the city he loved. Kotetsu, thankfully, didn't have to accompany him, but did watch it later that night out of curiosity. He was infinitely relieved to see that Bunny still seemed healthy and happy, but a part of him knew that his young partner could hide an entire solar system behind his dazzling smile.

It made him want to stick closer to Bunny than usual the next day, which was unfortunate given that they'd been assigned to bolster their Hero image after Lunatic's frightening display at the church. It also left him no time to follow up with the criminal at the hospital, which he intended to do despite Barnaby's surety that Mister Maverick was handling the situation.

Bunny, though seemed fairly close to his usual self as they neared the Academy, composed and calculating with thoughts moiling in his cold green eyes.

"Say, Bunny, is this where you and Origami went to school?" Kotetsu asked, watching the inside display of the grounds around them. "_Ha_! What an amazing place!"

"I'm not sure where you've been in your life to say so," Bunny said, unwillingly amused by his over-the-top reaction, though he didn't crack a smile. "It's not one of the better schools I've attended, but it is one of the only Academies dedicated to educating Next."

"It's amazing!" Kotetsu insisted, nudging him with his suited hand. "Eh? Isn't it, Bunny? I mean, even _you_ have to admit it!"

Barnaby smirked, shifting to his feet as the transport slowed to a stop.

"Eh? We're here?" Kotetsu asked, peering at the display.

"Don't idle around, Old Man," Barnaby warned. "I would hate for people to think that you can't keep up."

It got the anticipated scowl and near-pout, an expression that never failed to amuse Barnaby. There was something so ridiculous in a man of Kotetsu's age jutting his lower lip out like that...

_Sharp teeth in the meat of his thigh, high up near his groin, teasing but never breaking the skin..._

"Bunny?"

Barnaby shook his head, shocked by the vivid memory. He wasn't entirely sure, but he thought it was from that night at Kotetsu's house. Even seeing himself in action under the full strictures of his trigger hadn't broken the lock on his memories of that time in the gym, but something about the cycle being interrupted might mean he could start recalling moments of that night at Kotetsu's house. Whatever the case, he'd certainly remembered _something_ just now.

"Say, Bunny, the suit says your stats are jumping," Kotetsu said, concerned, and for just a split second the way the light caught on his amber eyes brought another flash of the older man looming over him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Barnaby said, jerking back from Kotetsu's reaching hand with his heart jumping erratically. He shakily disabled the 'share' application on his vital signs so his suit wouldn't be feeding his stats to his partner. He wasn't sure why they automatically enabled in the first place anyway, and dwelled on that thought to chase the other startling ones away. "Let's just get this over with. I can't believe we're expected to do something so terribly mundane when there are so many other issues to be dealt with."

"You didn't think filming yesterday was a waste of time," Kotetsu pointed out.

Barnaby was once again amazed by the fact that Kotetsu could behave so normally around him. He certainly didn't act like a perverted old man around someone he'd been willing to take advantage of just to get into his bed.

'_Maybe he wasn't lying when he said that wasn't why_,' he thought, uncomfortably aware of the man next to him and almost _angry_ at Kotetsu for not being in the least affected.

"Boosting my public image can only help achieve my goal," Barnaby reminded him, hoping to irritate Kotetsu as well as distract his own thoughts. "Never turn down an opportunity to be on camera, Old Man. But I'd certainly feel more productive actually looking for Lunatic than trying to play 'Hearts and Minds' with a bunch of Next who are already on our side."

"Lunatic...I wonder how many other people he's murdered by now?" Kotetsu mused, falling into step behind Barnaby as the young man put his helmet on and moved out of the transport.

"I don't care about that," Bunny said, callously dismissing the question, falling back on his usual coldness, on his primary defense. "He's been killing criminals, after all. What I care about is whether he's connected to Ouroboros."

"Sheesh, Bunny, you really aren't cute at all sometimes," Kotetsu complained, baffled as to how a Hero could have such utter disdain for someone's life, even if that someone was a criminal.

"Please stop talking," Bunny said, weaving his way through a vast parking structure to enter the building proper. "Your values as a Hero are your own; they've nothing to do with me."'

"Not cute _at all_," Kotetsu quietly muttered, fiddling with his visor. "Say, Bunny, no migraine last night?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but no," Barnaby said. "I've taken precautions, Old Man. At this point I doubt even your advanced level of clumsiness is enough to trigger me."

"Ah, hehe, yeah..."

Barnaby sighed and shook his head, exasperated by the way that Kotetsu greeted every sign of criticism with a goofy smile and complete agreement. It really left him with no way to start an argument or even needle him, if nothing bothered the Old Man much.

Bored, bothered, and vastly unhappy, Barnaby tried to make the best of a worthless situation and pasted his usual smile on for the adoring crowd of student Next. He emphasized the importance of points and publicity, the only things he could actually instruct them about, and let their adoration bolster him somewhat. It certainly wasn't useful, but if he had to waste an entire day at least he should get _something_ out of it. But he couldn't shake the thought of Lunatic, of how that masked madman had killed his only lead, and nearly killed someone else who had insight into his past. There was every chance that Lunatic either worked for or knew of Ouroboros, and just thinking that he was out there at large was enough to make Barnaby furious. Not only had the man destroyed potential leads into his parents' murders, he also destroyed public faith in Heroes, which directly affected Barnaby's ability to garner publicity and continue his chosen path. That man was an all-around nuisance and needed to be stopped.

When Lunatic himself actually showed up at the Academy later that evening to enact a murder, Barnaby realized he finally had his chance.

They'd chased after Origami in the wake of his confrontation with the convicted felon, Edward. The Old Man had actually managed to turn the diffident, shy young hero's guilt into viable motivation, and hurriedly chased after to ensure that Origami didn't come to harm because of it. Barnaby watched him go, watched all traces of his usual goofiness and clumsiness vanish under the force of his focus.

He looked...capable to Barnaby. In the place of the bumbling wreck he was accustomed to was a serious, skillful man with a commendable, even dangerous amount of experience in such situations. He wasn't used to feeling even such a small amount of esteem for the Old Man, and it made him slow to catch up, though the Academy Director seemed more than happy to give chase.

He saw familiar blue and green flames as he caught up to Kotetsu and they sprang into action, routing Lunatic away from Origami and Edward with such purpose and momentum that Barnaby hardly realized they were working in tandem again. They forced the masked madman to the top of a nearby building where Barnaby demanded to know his purpose, because as far as he knew, Edward had never been affiliated with Ouroboros.

"Because of you, I lost my only lead to Ouroboros!" Barnaby shouted, and that dark, ugly rage he'd been caging reared its head, ravenous to be set loose. When Lunatic merely tipped his head and said, "That's too bad," Barnaby saw nothing but red and rushed at him, determined to capture him if not kill him outright.

"Wait! Bunny, don't rush in like that!" Kotetsu warned, grabbing hold of him, which was incredibly dangerous given the circumstances. It didn't stop him, didn't hold him back from going at Lunatic with everything he had, deaf to the masked man's taunts. The vulnerability of his situation didn't even penetrate Barnaby's blanketing fury and hatred until he realized too late that a fiery arrow was headed right at him.

Saying that life flashed before the eyes of someone in danger of dying was an exaggeration, but he honestly felt as if he had a world of time to move, it was just that his body wasn't fast enough. He watched that arrow of fire come directly at him and all he could feel was bitter rage and regret - so much wasted time, so many missed opportunities, too much of life left unlived yet and no way to redeem even a second of it.

Then a shadow crossed his vision -

'_You sure are something, Bunny..._'

\- and he realized that Kotetsu had leaped in front of him..

Time snapped into overdrive, then. Where it had been so slow when he'd first realized he was in danger, now it seemed to go too fast, and in the blink of an eye the Old Man took the full force of that missile right in his chest, fully aware of the consequences, fully intending to spare Barnaby's life at the potential cost of his own.

Even though looking away from Lunatic was something only a rookie would do, Barnaby couldn't help but track the Old Man's falling form as he hit the roof and tumbled down to land face-first.

"Old Man!" he managed, panic clawing at his gut. His heart pounded out a frantic rhythm, hammering away inside of his chest and filling his skull with the discordant sound of his determination to live. He gained his feet but Kotetsu was already up, already jumping to land a forceful blow right to Lunatic's face. The older man landed on the ground on his feet but rapidly sank to his knees, at the end of his strength as Lunatic tumbled to the ground.

Before Barnaby knew it he was down beside him, shaking with adrenaline and the force of his fear that this was it, that one more person had been snatched from his grasping fingers despite, or perhaps _because_ of, everything he'd done.

'_He's going to die_!' It came screaming through his head sounding strangely like himself as a young child. '_He's going to die and it's going to be your fault! He's going to die trying to protect _you!'

"Old Man!" He hesitantly grasped Kotetsu's shoulder to frantically ask, "Are you alright? Old Man?!"

"Eh, yeah, I think..." Kotetsu said, clearly in pain and trying to his best to hide it.

The rush of relief Barnaby felt made him tremble, but it was just as quickly replaced by fury. Seeing him like that, seeing Kotetsu wounded and in pain just made Barnaby all the more angry and upset. It wasn't supposed to _be _like this! People close to you weren't supposed to be hurt or be killed! Kotetsu was an affable, foolish man who honestly didn't deserve this, not when he'd done it to protect _him_. No ulterior motives, no calculations, no consideration of points or risks outweighing gains - just instantly moving to protect someone because that's the kind of man he was.

"Damn it!" Barnaby snarled, turning to rapidly locate Lunatic, who was standing in a kind of shocked daze just a leap away. He tensed to move but stopped when Kotetsu suddenly grasped his hand, his calloused fingers warm and strong, holding tightly to Barnaby's own. His fingers clenched of their own accord, seeking reassurance that Kotetsu was very much alive and passably well.

"Bunny," the man said, his voice firm and calm despite his pain. "I'm telling you to calm down."

"But - "

Lunatic cut off his response, saying, "I have no desire to fight with you Heroes. I am just giving murderers what they deserve."

"So that's why you kill people?" Kotetsu bit out through his pain, letting go of Bunny's hand when the younger man drew away.

"It is my idea of justice," Lunatic said, seemingly proud of that fact.

"Then my idea of justice is arresting idiots like you!" Kotetsu managed, gaining his feet.

To their surprise, Lunatic's mask began to crumble where Kotetsu had made contact, prompting the man to cover the hole and say, "I shall see where your sense of justice leads you..."

"Wait!" Barnaby snarled, dashing after him, but the man was long gone in a heartbeat. "_Damn it_!"

Kotetsu hissed softly behind him, slumping over with his hand pressing to his wounded right shoulder. The arrow had penetrated through the meat of his muscle but the worst part was the burn that scattered along his skin beneath his clothes. It was painful and sharp enough to make him lose focus for a frightening second, long enough for him to realize that Bunny was nervously calling out to him. He'd never seen the brat so disconcerted before. Maybe because he'd never really seen Bunny in a true life or death situation before? Summoning a tired smile, he said, "Say, Bunny, think you could call for some help?"

"I hear sirens," Bunny said, struggling to regain his composure. "Origami must have called the police."

"Damn, this hurts," Kotetsu admitted, opting to flop back down on the asphalt to catch his breath. Bunny's green eyes widened dangerously behind his glasses, prompting Kotetsu to say, "It's okay, I'm okay, I just need to rest a second."

Fairly caught out, Barnaby pushed his glasses up his nose and tried for his usual calm when he said, "Please don't die. It would be very inconvenient."

"Inconvenient, HA!" Kotetsu echoed, and laughed even though it hurt.

"I don't really see how this is funny!" Bunny flared, embarrassed by his perceived faux pas and still confused by his response to what had just happened. "Stop laughing, Old Man! Honestly! Do you have an inappropriate response to every situation?!"

Kotetsu was still laughing when Origami, the Director, and that criminal boy, Edward, all came spilling across the parking lot towards them.

"Tiger! Barnaby! The police are on their way!" the young Hero called, alarmed whenever he saw Kotetsu's wound. "_Tiger_! Is it bad?"

"Not bad enough to keep him from making sport of others," Barnaby sourly said, thinking that his momentary foray into sentiment was entirely wasted on someone as ridiculous as Kotetsu. His indignation didn't keep him from hovering when the police and EMTs arrived, however. He told himself that it was his duty as Kotetsu's partner to remain with him, that is wasn't the lingering, irrational concern that the older man might suddenly succumb to his wounds and die

"Bunny, you don't have to stay for this," Kotetsu insisted, his laughter long gone as the EMTs started an IV and got him settled on the stretcher. "Damn, that really hurts..."

"It would be rather shameful to let an old man like you be dealt with on his own," Barnaby coolly told him, studiously not looking at the tube in Kotetsu's arm. It just wasn't right to see the man so cowed, so absolutely at the end of his resources.

'_He could be leaving here in a bodybag_,' Barnaby thought, returning once more to the memory of Kotetsu leaping in front of him to take that hit. '_At the least, it could be me on that stretcher_...'

Feeling strangely fragile, Barnaby kept one hand on the stretcher as Kotetsu was wheeled towards the waiting ambulance, absorbed in his thoughts.

"Say, Bunny," the Old Man said, looking over at him. "Aren't you glad that Palm Face wasn't related to Ouroboros?"

Startled, Barnaby merely gazed down at him, unsure how to reply because the loss of yet another potential lead was the last thing he'd been thinking of.

Taking it as an answer in itself, Kotetsu sighed, "Ah, guess not, eh?"

The EMTs loaded him into the ambulance and promptly closed the doors, not even giving Barnaby the option to ride with him to the hospital, thought he hadn't the faintest idea how he'd explain himself to Kotetsu if he had ridden with him.

'_The bike is here anyway_,' he thought, focusing on anything that would keep him from remembering the pure terror of watching the Old Man fall lifelessly to the ground. What Kotetsu had done defied any explanation Barnaby could give it. It defied any reasonable reaction a normal person would have to such danger. Human instinct dictated rushing _away_ from potential fatality, not _into_ it.

Lost in thought, his gaze drifted down to the asphalt beneath his feet and landed on the burned, tattered remains of Kotetsu's ridiculous '_Let's Believe HEROES'_ sash. Kneeling, he picked the charred, ragged thing up and stood, frowning.

After everything he'd done to Kotetsu, after the incident in the gym, after all of the snide comments and belittling...why on earth had Kotetsu jumped between him and that arrow? He'd had no way of knowing that it wouldn't be a fatal strike. Barnaby himself had been certain he was looking at Death when it was bearing down on him.

Clenching the banner in his hand, Barnaby reluctantly consented to being interviewed with Origami, but his thoughts were on that charred banner tucked into the pocket of his jacket, and on the Old Man being rushed away to the hospital, smiling through his pain.


	19. Remembering

Barnaby finally left the Academy grounds after the interviewers turned to Origami, who had donned his Hero gear to garner publicity for his sponsors.

Though his thoughts were on his partner, he didn't detour to the hospital where Kotetsu had been taken. He wasn't sure he could handle the guilt it would inspire to see the Old Man being treated. Instead, he drove the bike back to the transporter and picked up his car, thinking of how strange it was to be on the bike without Kotetsu filling the sidecar.

His usual routine felt empty somehow. He ate the last of the food his maid service had left for him and trashed what little information he had on Lunatic now that he knew the man wasn't affiliated with Ouroboros. He couldn't concentrate enough to focus on his parents' file, and found himself drifting to the window to gaze out at the city.

It was a lonely city. There were crowds and crowds of people, but it was isolating all the same. He knew he could walk the streets and be recognized in an instant, but that wasn't the same thing as being _known_.

'_...Of _course _I take care of Bunny! All I ever want is for him to be the best possible Hero he's able to be!_'

He looked down at the sash he'd been restlessly pulling through his hands. It had been charred to state only, "Let's Believe."

"Can I do that?" he quietly asked, unsettled by the turn of his thoughts. "Can I forgive you just a little Old Man?"

'_Can I forgive _myself_?'_

He took a deep breath and leaned his head against the glass, the cold air seeping through to cool his forehead. Somewhere out there was a person who'd been abusing him since he was a child. Somewhere out there was another person who'd killed his parents and left him stranded in a world with only a trust fund to comfort him.

Somewhere out there was a clumsy, silly mess of an old man who'd tried to hide the fact that Barnaby had attacked him, just so the younger man wouldn't feel bad about it.

"I do," he admitted, whispering it to his empty room, his hand clenching around that sash. "I don't know why you even bother with me, Old Man..."

Kotetsu's smiling face filled his mind's eye, giving him a wide grin and a thumbs up. It was so clear and sudden that he smiled a little despite himself.

"I'll try," Barnaby said, wearily rubbing his temple. "I'll try to believe in you, Old Man."

* * *

Barnaby attempted to put his newfound resolve into action the next day when Kotetsu arrived, favoring his right shoulder and altogether uncomfortable.

"You look awful," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose and turning away because it didn't come out at all as he had intended.

Kotetsu, though, didn't seem to mind the comment. He just laughed it off in his usual manner and told him, "You should be nicer to this old man, Bunny, right?"

"I - "

"Barnaby, Tiger, go down to the lab, please," Lloyds said, his voice coming suddenly over their coms unit. "Mister Saito wants to study what effect his chamber will have on Tiger now that he's injured."

"Of course," Barnaby said, standing quickly, still feeling awkward around Kotetsu. He hadn't had any more flashes of memory, thankfully, but the ones he'd already had were plaguing him. It was severely unnerving to have memories of enjoyment and pleasure from an event he considered an assault. That didn't make it any easier to shake from his head, however.

Mister Saito was there to greet them and gestured for Kotetsu to remove his shirt.

"Eh? What for?" the man asked, already unbuttoning his vest.

"_I want to inspect your wounds and take measurements to document your healing speed_," Saito whispered, indicating that Tiger should sit so he could reach.

"Ah, ok," Kotetsu said, slipping off his tie, vest, and shirt to reveal that his shoulder and chest were entirely covered with bandaging. He glanced up at Bunny, who was staring at the bandages as if they'd offended him, and said, "Hey, now! Don't glare like that, Bunny! I changed them the best I could this morning!"

"_You did a terrible job,_" Saito said, easily freeing the bandages to reveal the deep, cauterized laceration and sprinkling of burns across Kotetsu's wide chest. Barnaby blanched, quietly horrified that the older man had been hurt to such an extent on his behalf.

"You know, you could've offered me a ride home from the hospital, Bunny," Kotetsu complained, not even flinching whenever Saito probed the wound. "I had to take a cab home last night and another to work this morning."

"That's hardly my responsibility," Barnaby automatically said, and flushed a little to see that all of his good intentions were being utterly sabotaged by his habits. "You should have called if you needed a ride."

Kotetsu frowned, his firm mouth pulling down at the corners in the only genuine look of disapproval he actually had. "But I'm not supposed to call you, Bunny, right?"

"Please stop talking," Barnaby said, desperate to put a halt to a conversation that wasn't going at all like he'd hoped.

Kotetsu shrugged, wincing when the movement pained his shoulder. The wound had been sealed by the fire when it penetrated, but that caused its own complications. The damned thing _hurt_.

He sneaked another look at Bunny, who was restlessly shifting around as far from him as the young man could possibly get. Was it his wound that was bothering Bunny? Or was it just himself? It was depressing to think that his partner would still be so afraid of him despite everything. But then, Kotetsu couldn't really blame him, not after what he'd done. No amount of penance would be enough to make up for it, he knew.

'_Do what you do best - everything you can to the limits of your ability to help those around you_...' Tomoe's smiling face drifted through his thoughts, encouraging him as she always had. She would've cried her heart out for Bunny, he knew, but she would've saved a portion of understanding for her husband, just as she always had.

"_Old Man_!"

"Eh?" he asked, realizing that Mister Saito was gesturing insistently at the oxygen chambers. "Ah! Sorry, sorry, ah ha ha!"

He'd been expertly bandaged by Saito in preparation for the chamber, and crowed with delight, "Hey, you're good at this, Mister Saito!"

'_It's easier to bandage someone else than to do yourself_,' Saito said.

Frowning, Barnaby watched the Old Man clamber into the chamber, thinking that Saito was absolutely right. He'd been trying to staunch his own wounds for decades and getting nowhere. Maybe it was time to allow someone else to try.

'_You, too, Barnaby_,' Mister Saito said, urging him into the other chamber. '_Mister Maverick wants you both in once a day_.'

"Ah, of course," Barnaby said, removing his glasses and laying them on a little shelf to one side. He slipped his jacket off, hung it, and slipped into the chamber. In a very short while, he was fast asleep with the soft sounds of Puccini's _Quando Men Vo_ echoing in his ears.

* * *

_He was walking down an unfamiliar hallway but he wasn't afraid, wasn't nervous. There was a hand on his arm, warm and firm, fingers clenched just above his elbow as if he might try to get away. _

_"Here, Barnaby," someone said. The voice was familiar, soothing, trusted. He was safe, he knew that. Didn't they always tell him he was a good boy? Didn't they always say that he was special? Didn't they always praise him for a job well done? _

_He turned at the urging of that hand on his arm and found himself in a hotel room. It wasn't as sumptuous as he was used to, but they didn't need it for long. The bed spread before him in a sea of frothy sheets and pillows, waiting to cradle him. _

_"Undress, Barnaby," he was told, and he obeyed. One, two, three, four - take everything off in order, always in order. One, two, three, four until he was naked and waiting, his patience fraying despite the routine. _

_"Lay on the bed, Barnaby." _

_He stretched out on the bed, feeling the cool sheets caress his skin and warm, calloused hands spread down his back, chasing a trail of goosebumps. One hard hand hooked him beneath the arm and yanked him violently over onto his back. _

_Heart hammering in a sudden rush of fear and excitement, he looked up at those bright, hungry amber eyes staring down at him and moaned, "Give me what I want!"_

Barnaby woke with a gasp, shocked to the tingling tips of his toes by what he'd just dreamed.

Dreamed? Or was it a memory?"

'_No, it couldn't be a memory_,' he reasoned, hitting the release on the chamber door so that he could escape its suddenly stifling space. '_That was a hotel room. There were only three times, and only ever in the Old Man's bed, never at a hotel...Only three times. He said so, right?_'

Shaking a little with an excess of nerves and shock, he groped for his glasses, trying and failing to squash the small, bitter voice that asked, '_Was he lying_?'

"Ah! That's relaxing!" Kotetsu said behind him, standing beside his chamber and stretching his arms up over his head in a brief movement that sent a ripple through all of the muscles down his lean belly. He yelped suddenly and dropped his arms, rubbing his wounded shoulder. "Sheesh, this is really bothersome!"

Barnaby watched him, wondering how much of an affable fool this man really was.

"Oh, no, thank you, Mister Saito!" Kotetsu protested, fending off the small scientist who wanted to remove the bandages once more. "Ah! Haha! No, I don't want to take them off again, it hurts!"

Seeing him stumbling around in an attempt to avoid Saito and dress at the same time, Barnaby told himself that there was no way the Old Man would be capable of doing something so deceitful. It had just been a dream, cobbling reality and imagination into one very unsettling scenario.

'_There's no way such a thing would've happened_,' he reasoned, pulling his jacket on and zipping it, feeling safer behind the cool leather that warmed quickly to his body heat. '_He doesn't have it in him to keep such a secret_.'

It had just been a strange dream, that's all. But no matter how he tried to dismiss it, some small part of himself reminded him that he'd been slowly getting some memories back, so maybe...

He looked at Kotetsu again, bothered by the play of muscle beneath his skin, by the obvious strength in his arms, by the glow in his amber eyes that Barnaby could see even from here. Kotetsu certainly had the strength to yank him over like that.

Maybe it was just one more memory he'd never been meant to see.


	20. Considering

**Utopia, you are officially an army of one with reviews! I have close to sixty hits on this story every day, sometimes more, so I know it's being read, but no one cares to comment. Ah, well, it's nothing new for me, really. I've gotten used to my work being largely ignored, lol :D But thank you for always having something positive to say, I appreciate it!**

* * *

Over lunch that day Kotetsu opted to go alone to the hospital to see Huber again. Barnaby had been called away to a charity lunch with Mister Maverick and no invitation had been extended to himself, so he figured it was a good time to see that man again.

The ICU nurse recognized him as he came in and smiled, waving him over to say, "I saw you yesterday on the show! It's really impressive how dedicated you Heroes are! You all have _my_ vote of confidence."

"Ah, thank you," Kotetsu said, glad that he'd remembered to wear his little face mask. "All we want is to protect the peace."

Predictably, she glanced at the doorway behind him and shyly asked, "Is Mister Barnaby not with you today, Tiger?"

He grinned apologetically and laughed, saying, "Ah, no, no, he's busy today. I came alone to see Mister Huber."

She frowned softly and said, "His condition took a turn for the worse last night."

"Eh? Worse?"

"Sometime in the night, he slipped into a catatonic state. His doc says there's virtually no chance he'll come out of it."

"C...catatonic?" Kotetsu echoed, shocked. "May I see him?"

"There really isn't much to see, but yeah, come this way," she said, moving out from behind the desk. "It's really a shame, but no one really tries too hard with these criminals, I guess."

"Ah, yeah, I guess," Kotetsu agreed, wrangling his hat in his hands to allay his worry. It was absolutely incomprehensible that in the short time since his visit with Bunny, the man who'd set him so off-kilter had gone from alert and reasonably aware to completely unresponsive.

Franklin Huber lay limply in his hospital bed with his rheumy blue eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling and a ribbon of saliva trailing down his cheek. The nurse moved to wipe it off, saying, "We don't really know why he went downhill like this, but he's a State Care patient so he's only given direct trauma care. If the State won't pay to find out what happened, then we'll never know."

"Were you here when this happened?" Kotetsu asked, directing his attention to the young policeman on duty.

"Nope, that was Reynolds," the man said, standing and stretching. "But he said that the guy was fine one second, and the next he was just like that. No struggles or anything, no stress, just bye-bye."

"Jo was on duty overnight and she said the same thing," the nurse told him. "One check he was right as rain and sassy, next check he was gone."

Kotetsu gazed down at the man in the bed, completely shocked and saddened. How on earth had this happened, and right when he and Bunny had just discovered his link to Barnaby's past...

Even as horrified as he was on Huber's behalf, Kotetsu couldn't shake the feeling that the timing was just too perfect. His partner might laugh at his instincts, but Kotetsu had come to trust them, and his instincts were telling him that something here was off.

If that Next could make Bunny recall doing things he'd never done, and make him forget doing things he _had_ done, then was it such a stretch to think he could take everything away from someone and leave them like Huber?

"Say," he said, still looking at the poor man laying in his bed. "Does this place have CCTV?"

"Of course," the nurse said, baffled by the change in their conversation. "All of the departments have security cameras. I'm not sure what happens to it, though. You'd have to talk to hospital security if you're interested."

"Ah, sure, sure," Kotetsu said, smiling at her to cover his sudden seriousness. "Ah, well, thank you, though. I guess there's not much point in questioning someone who can't answer, eh?"

She nodded, looking properly, professionally empathetic, and led him back down to the main door of the ICU.

"Have a nice day, Mister Tiger," she told him, and added with a becoming blush, "Tell Mister Barnaby that I'm his fan!"

"Ah, haha! Yes, of _course_ I will! Bunny is the best, isn't he?" Kotetsu said, embarrassed by her admiration even if it wasn't directed at him. "I'll be sure to tell him! Thank you!"

Kotetsu left the ICU and headed for the security office, where a brief review of his Hero status and affiliation with Apollon Media - a huge financial supporter of the hospital - allowed him to have copies of the ICU tapes from last night into early morning. The polite, somewhat overeager security guard loaded the files onto a data clip for him, all the while asking questions of Kotetsu so quickly that he never got a chance to answer even one of them.

Late returning to work and facing a scolding, Kotetsu took the clip with sincere thanks and headed back in, hoping that Mrs. Norris wouldn't give him that withering look of hers. He dreaded having to tell Bunny about Huber, then reminded himself that Mister Maverick was also investigating on Bunny's behalf, and would probably give a much less awkward accounting of the situation.

'_I'll see what these logs can show me. If no one visited him, then I'm wrong and that's that. There's no reason to get Bunny all upset right now. He's got enough on his mind..._'

His thoughts turned to his stiff, reserved partner, recalling again how Bunny had been so disturbed by the sight of him undressing. He really should've been more sensitive to the situation, but Barnaby hadn't reacted before during changing and such except to say that he wanted Kotetsu to feel bad. Maybe he'd had time enough to process things and had found himself more afraid than he'd been to begin with? Either way, if he had to run laps around Mister Saito, Kotetsu would do his best to keep his clothes on and not upset his partner.

"We'll figure this out, Bunny," he said, and for a second he wished that _he_ had the power to change memories, but as it stood, all he could ever hope to change was the opinion of one easily provoked, complicated, sometimes not-so-cute little rabbit.

* * *

Bunny was still out at the charity lunch by the time Kotetsu got back, so he used the momentary privacy to load those clips onto his computer and scroll through them. Visiting hours were subdued and easily distinguishable from nonvisiting hours. There was hour after hour of nothing but nurses checking the patients, doctors making their rounds, the policeman coming to the desk to chat with the staff.

Then at about 4:30 in the morning, another staff member entered and shared a thermos of something between them, then left. The policeman went back to Huber's bay, and the nurse turned to her charting. In a very short time, it looked like she put her head down and fell asleep, but Kotetsu really couldn't tell. It was only when a tall, rather broad-shouldered person came in without her noticing that Kotetsu was sure she was asleep, or drugged by that liquid, one.

The figure wore a broad-brimmed hat and concealing trenchcoat that hid the finer details Kotetsu needed. Without hesitation, he headed straight back to Huber's bay. In less than three minutes he returned down the hallway and left just as the nurse was starting to stir.

"What on earth?" Kotetsu breathed, his heart hammering to realize that he might've just _seen_ the very person who'd been abusing Bunny. In under five minutes he'd managed to get in and out without anyone noticing him, and with such a small amount of time lost, no one remarked it at all. The nurse probably thought she was exhausted and the guard had probably attributed it to boredom.

Rewinding the clip, Kotetsu called the hospital and resent it to their security department, hoping they could track the man's movements to the parking garage or out onto the street.

Told that it would take them a little time, and that the intrusion would require an investigation on their end, all Kotetsu could do was wait for a call back. He made the decision not to mention any of this to Bunny for fear of setting him off on a rampage. He wasn't sure that his theory was correct and he damned sure wasn't positive that the person he'd seen was Bunny's abuser, so until he had some hard facts to give, he'd keep his silence. Hopefully Maverick was having better luck than he was. So long as that Next was stopped, he didn't really care which of them got the credit.

All he cared about now was Bunny being safe.

* * *

Over the next two days Barnaby had recurring dreams in the oxygen chamber, sometimes of his parents' murder, other times of unspeakable moments in strange beds. Sometimes it was Kotetsu with him in those beds, other times it was a faceless black shadow like the one that haunted his memories of the day his parents had died. The randomness helped allay the suspicion that Kotetsu had taken advantage of him more than once, and considering that the man had gone to such an extreme to protect him only strengthened Barnaby's resolve.

He woke from the frustrating, interrupted memory of his parents' murder with his heart pounding and his head still swimming. It was infuriating to have such a crystal clear vision of them lying dead on the floor amidst flames, but to have their killer remain cloaked in shadows and light as if he was more a demon than a man. A boogeyman from a child's nightmare who still haunted a grown man...

Kotetsu slipped from the oxygen chamber when it opened and went immediately for his shirt, hoping to at least have it on before Bunny got his glasses on. He did his best not to antagonize the poor kid anymore than he already did, and knew that his partner probably didn't appreciate seeing him in any state of undress for very long.

"_How was it? Did you sleep well_?" Saito asked, addressing them from inside of his lab. He didn't come out this time to expose and measure Kotetsu's wound, for which the older man was grateful.

"I feel great! Good as new," Kotetsu said, sliding his arm into his shirt and dragging it up even though the movement still hurt.

Strangely subdued, Bunny actually reached as if he would touch Kotetsu's shoulder, asking, "Does it still hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," Kotetsu said, reminding himself that without his glasses, Barnaby really couldn't see anything unless it was right up in his face, which was probably why he'd reached out. Trying to raise Bunny's spirits by feigning his own, he crowed, "That palm-faced bastard's attack was nothing!"

"I must admit, if nothing else, your endurance is remarkable," Barnaby told him, and immediately had to turn his back on Kotetsu to hide his sudden and telling blush. _Endurance_ was definitely something that had come home to Barnaby again and again in those dreams. The word must've slipped out thanks to that. He'd started off feeling awful again because of Kotetsu's wound being his fault, and wound up somewhere he'd really never wanted to be.

"_Eh_? What do you mean, 'if nothing else'?!" Kotetsu asked, finishing with his tie and slipping his vest on. "Sheesh, Bunny, that's rude even for you! You should've just said my endurance impresses you! _That's_ how you give a proper compliment! Tch!"

Barnaby turned to inform him that it was nothing of the sort, but Miss Joubert suddenly came through on Kotetsu's Call bracelet and said, "Tiger, it's an emergency. Get to the training center right away!"

"What is it?" he asked, alarmed, aware of Bunny leaning over his shoulder.

Cryptically enough, all she said was, "You'll find out when you get here."

Exchanging glances with Bunny, Kotetsu frowned a little and said, "Let's go, Bunny."

Somewhat surprised by the entirely natural way that Kotetsu assumed he'd come along, all Barnaby could do was nod once, sharply, and grab his jacket, silently relieved when those disturbing dreams sank quietly to the back of his vivid imagination.

* * *

The "emergency" turned out to be a baby.

"Tiger, you'll be in charge of taking care of him," Agnes said, keeping a fearsome amount of distance between herself and the sleeping child, which the other Heroes were already making over.

"Eh? _Me_?" he asked, surprised.

"That's right," Agnes said, not batting an eyelash as Blue Rose sped by, eager to see the baby.

"Let me see! Aw! Whose is he?!"

Barnaby just watched them fuss over the Mayor's son, wondering why they had picked the Old Man specifically.

"There's been a rash of kidnappings lately focusing on wealthy children," Agnes said, answering his question. "Take good care of little Sam."

Rubbing the back of his head in consternation, Kotetsu complained, "Why do _I_ have to do it, though?"

"This is perfect for you," Barnaby assured him, thinking that, if anything, Kotetsu would fling himself in harm's way for the baby's sake. If he could do it for his partner, who'd only been rude and unkind, then for a helpless baby he could manage even more.

Blue Rose, clutching her hands beneath her chin and blushing, said, "I bet you'll make a great daddy someday!"

Before anyone could react and before Kotetsu could stop him, Antonio merrily informed them, "He already is a good papa!"

Barnaby was just as shocked as the rest of them, quietly processing Kotetsu's embarrassed, awkward admission that he had both a nine-year-old daughter, and that his wife had died years ago of an illness.

Eyes narrowing, Barnaby searched his face, seeing only that guileless, embarrassed smile. He didn't for one second believe Kotetsu's affable, "Ah, didn't I tell you?", no. He was as shocked as Blue Rose was, though admittedly showed it less.

A wife? A child? How had he missed these things? He'd thought that Kotetsu wore that ring for looks, not because of a marriage. He'd never spoken of a spouse or his daughter, never hinted that they existed. In fact, he'd barely mentioned being friends with Bison outside of work, and he'd certainly never brought up any romantic interest. Barnaby had assumed since Kotetsu had taken him to bed that the man preferred other men. He recalled something about Fire Emblem staying the night at the Old Man's house on the evening they'd first met Lunatic in person, and that had been added to his knowledge of his partner's habits and preferences.

A wife and a daughter kind of set everything on its ear and forced him to quietly add another tally to the column that Kotetsu had been sincere in saying that he hadn't slept with Barnaby out of a perverse desire to corrupt him.

Focusing on the task at hand - namely, keeping baby Sam happy so he wouldn't wreck the place with his telekinetic Next powers - Barnaby added that knowledge to his embarrassingly small mental file on Kotetsu so that he could examine it later away from all of this chaos.


	21. Relief

**This is just a notice that this will be the last chapter I'll be posting here. Everything is going over to my Wordpress site (which is in my profile and is actually four chapters ahead of here) where I'll be finishing the stories that I currently have in process. After that, who knows if I'll be writing anymore. If you like this story and want to keep reading it, thank you and sorry for the inconvenience. If you don't want to bother adding an extra bookmark, well that's fine, too, and kind of expected. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me and to those who left comments that let me know my stuff was being read. I really do appreciate it, and I apologize again.  
**

* * *

Despite his protests, they wound up going back to Barnaby's apartment with the baby and a protesting Dragon Kid, ostensibly because the Old Man didn't want any of his stuff broken. Barnaby had the feeling that it was more because he didn't want to remind his partner of what had happened by going to his own house.

As uncomfortable as it was allowing people into his space, Barnaby found himself relaxing all the same. He had always considered his home a haven from distractions and stress, but without him realizing it he'd wound up isolating himself in obsessive loneliness in the quest for his parents' murderer.

There wasn't much to entertain a baby of Sam's age in an austere apartment like Barnaby's, but after a fit that tossed everything into the air, the baby zeroed in on the little toy robot that Barnaby's parents had given to him on his fourth birthday.

"Looks like he wants that, Bunny."

Barnaby was reluctant to put his treasure into such busy little hands, but there was really nothing for it. It was childish to refuse, after all, but that didn't lessen his anxiety as Sam started chewing on the small blue robot.

"But I don't like it at all!" Dragon Kid sharply said, drawing Barnaby's attention to her discussion with the Old Man.

"Hey, don't be like that! Do you know how parents feel when they buy gifts for their children? They're thinking of you from far away."

"They don't understand my feelings at all!" Dragon Kid declared, more annoyed than Barnaby expected her to be. She was normally such a relaxed kid that this side of her surprised him. Trying to bring the tension to a close, he said, "It's fine, really. He does have a point, though. You should treasure the things your parents give you." Silently, he added, '_You never know when they'll be gone_...'

That said, he plucked the robot out of Sam's hands despite the potential fit involved, and despite Kotetsu calling him childish. It was too precious a thing to be broken so easily, and the only thing he had from his parents.

"They want me to be someone I'm not," Dragon Kid said, less hostile now and more sad. "I'm not. They don't understand it, but I'm _not_."

"Don't worry about that too much, eh?" Kotetsu urged her, ruffling her hair. "Parents always have dreams for their children and hope that they get to do all of the things we can't, right? They just want you to be happy, whoever you grow up to be."

Dragon Kid summoned a smile for Kotetsu, who took it as forgiveness and asked her, "You hungry?"

"Starving! Could you make a bottle? I don't know how..."

"I'll order some dinner," Barnaby said. He replaced the robot toy and headed through one of the recessed panels into his kitchen, both relieved and nervous when Kotetsu tagged behind him.

"I can make something," Kotetsu offered.

"No, thank you," Barnaby said, shaking his head and thumbing through an organized stack of restaurant menus neatly filed on his unused countertop. "I'll order in. I don't keep much here anyway, and I haven't had the service in this week."

"S...service?" Kotetsu echoed, bewildered.

"Once a week someone comes to clean, clear the laundry, and do the shopping," Barnaby said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He smiled a little at how flabbergasted the Old Man was at the idea of such a thing. "It's really quite convenient. The show doesn't leave me much time to do such mundane things."

Frowning, Kotetsu muttered, "You really are a little spoiled, aren't you, Bunny?"

"There are benefits to have a trust fund, Old Man," Barnaby said, but refrained from adding that he'd have given every penny to have his family back. His trust fund had never dried his tears or held him when he was lonely. He turned to give Kotetsu a list of ordering options, disconcerted to find the older man just behind him with his deep amber eyes catching and holding the faint traces of light.

"Say, Bunny, you have anything to drink?" Kotetsu asked, frowning when he registered that the brat was suddenly uneasy. He shuffled back a few steps to give Barnaby some room, wishing that at some point his partner would be able to trust his intentions and not be afraid of him anymore, would be able to ask him for help in the search for Ouroboros. That night at the Academy he'd been surprised that Barnaby had touched him, even something so simple as laying a hand on his shoulder. He'd been even more surprised that Barnaby hadn't drawn away when Kotetsu had grabbed his hand. It had given the older man the hope that things were changing for the better, but now every time he got close, Bunny would tense and withdraw.

'_What do you expect, Kotetsu, eh_?' he asked himself, retreating to the far corner of Barnaby's pristine, unused kitchen to give the kid some room. '_Didn't he say that he'd never forgive you? Do you think you deserve to be treated fairly in the face of what he's been through? Don't be selfish, Old Man_...'

"Ah, yes!" Barnaby said, quickly turning his back on Kotetsu to hide his expression. It was unsettling for him to see the older man pull away like that, like Barnaby was some kind of uncontrollable monster. It was so at odds with how the man usually treated him, as if it was only in private moments like these that Kotetsu felt threatened or unsure enough to put distance between them.

He started rapidly drawing down bottles of wine, checking them to have an excuse not to look at Kotetsu. "The glasses are there, please help yourself."

"Ah..." Kotetsu moved cautously alongside of the younger man to pluck a wine glass off of the hanging rack. He didn't like the coiled tension that had suddenly gripped Barnaby, as if his partner was struggling to hide something and doing a terrible job of it. But then, Kotetsu had always been better at reading body language than spoken subtext, and he'd quickly learned to read Bunny, especially when the young man was upset. "Say...Bunny..."

"Please choose whatever you like," Barnaby said, gathering up the menus and hoping to make a quick escape. "I'm not saving anything in particular, so help yourself. I'll go order."

"Bunny," Kotetsu said with a little more force, catching hold of his wrist before he could take another step. He knew he risked making things worse, but he could hardly tell Bunny what he wanted to say out there in front of Dragon Kid. The touch made the younger man whirl around in sudden temper, but Kotetsu spoke before he could, saying, "I'm sorry it bothers you still."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Barnaby asked, surprised that Kotetsu would grab him like that when he was so distasteful. "There isn't anything about you that bothers me, Old Man."

"Ah...sure, okay," Kotetsu agreed, letting go of his wrist. He ran those same fingers over the label on one of the wine bottles, musing, "I thought that maybe me coming too close still scared you. I hope you know by now that I wouldn't deliberately hurt you again, right, Bunny? I want you to know that I'll try my best not to intrude on your space, okay?"

"What prompted this?" Barnaby asked, wondering why his chest was so tight, why his wrist burned like Kotetsu's warm fingers were still there, a strong reassurance that there was someone on this earth willing to risk their life for his sake.

"It's just that I noticed you get really tense and upset when I come close," Kotetsu said, tipping the bottle from side to side and letting it wobble. He turned and looked at Barnaby so suddenly that the younger man started, blushing. "Sorry, Bunny. I'll try to be more careful."

"No, it..." Barnaby fiddled with his glasses, shocked to realize that he'd been interpreting Kotetsu's reactions the wrong way. The rush of relief was so deep and vast that his shoulders slumped slightly, losing the tension that had tightened him up ever since that night at the Old Man's house. He wanted to confess what he'd been thinking, and immediately realized that Kotetsu would only be puzzled by it. '_Won't you leave me any guilt, Old Man? What is it about other peoples' pain that makes you so greedy and eager to take it for yourself_?'

"Don't be ridiculous," he said instead, taking a deep breath, shaken by the depths of his relief. "You're just imagining things, Old Man."

Kotetsu searched his face for a long, silent moment before he softly said, "Yeah."

"I'll go see what Dragon Kid wants to eat," Barnaby said, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. "Pour two glasses. Drinking alone is shameful. When you're done, don't forget to make up a bottle. We don't want little Sam crying again."

"Haha! Don't worry!" Kotetsu said, grinning widely and letting the subject drop. He tipped the bottle a little too hard and nearly sent it crashing to the floor. Barnaby caught it out of reflex and handed it back with a warning look, glad that Kotetsu took it without moving away. "Sorry, sorry! Hahaha!"

"Honestly," Barnaby sighed, and turned away before Kotetsu could see his slight smile.

* * *

It was fried rice and entrees delivered from Full Moon House at Dragon Kid's request. Considering the youngster was staying with no orders to do so and no potential gain, Barnaby figured the least he could do was buy a dinner that would be appreciated.

"It will only be about twenty minutes for the food to arrive," Barnaby said, returning to the kitchen to see what was keeping Kotetsu.

"Perfect! Just enough time to get through this bottle!"

"_What_?!" Barnaby asked, shocked to see that the older man had already downed half a bottle. "Old Man! You can't get drunk! What if there's an emergency?"

"Well, _you're_ around, right?" Kotetsu asked, tipping his glass at Barnaby with a grin and wink that was as disconcerting as it was amusing. "Besides, these glasses are really big, I think. See? I just poured two glasses and already the bottle is almost done. Sheesh! Here."

"No, I don't think now that I - "

"It's fine, Bunny," Kotetsu said, holding the glass for him. "Drinking alone is shameful, right? Don't worry about those two. Dragon Kid is little but no less a Hero for it. Sam is safe enough."

"Ah..." Lacking the conviction to argue, Barnaby took the glass and sipped it, quietly appalled and impressed by Kotetsu's rapid consumption. But then, he really had no idea how his partner spent his time off except that he sometimes went drinking with Rock Bison. He angled a glance at Kotetsu, who polished off his glass and lowered it, his lids falling to hood his amber eyes and his mouth easing from his perpetual smile into something that spoke keenly of discontent.

Barnaby stared at the old man's profile, at a momentary crack in what he was increasingly sure was yet another mask that Kotetsu showed to the world. Here was a man who'd lost his wife and, essentially, his daughter as well in one fell swoop. This wasn't a Hero standing next to him, wasn't a clumsy clown aping for laughter and eager to see everyone around him happy and healthy - this was just a man doing his best to live as well as he could without hurting anyone else in the process...and thinking that he was failing miserably.

"Old Man, I...I didn't know about your family," he finally said, looking away when that mask slid up in the guise of an easy grin. Barnaby had always fancied himself able to hide anything, but he was still a rookie compared to Kotetsu's consummate acting.

"Ah, well, Antonio opened his mouth when he shouldn't have," Kotetsu said, turning to refill his glass just to keep from looking at Bunny. The kid kept acting as if there was something on his mind that he just couldn't get out, and Kotetsu wasn't sure he wanted to know just what.

"Still, it's a little appalling to know that five years ago you were dealing with the death of a loved one, and not a single one of your fellow Heroes even knew," Barnaby quietly said, wondering what other painful secrets were hidden behind Kotetsu's guileless smile.

Kotetsu shrugged a little and took a sip of his wine, already eyeing another bottle of white this time. "It wasn't something that would affect them, was it? There was no reason to bring it up." The truth of the matter was that he'd been nearly incapacitated with grief and had hidden it behind almost manic good humor that only Antonio had seen through. It had been the beginning of what had evolved into a lonely, empty life narrowly defined and alleviated by being a Hero. She'd wanted him to be a hero. She'd died alone so he could be a hero...

"But...for them to not even know of her," Barnaby said, unsure himself why he was picking at Kotetsu's scabs when the man was so respectful of his own.

"She wanted it that way, Tomoe did," Kotetsu said, draining his glass and setting it down to open the second bottle. He'd never discussed his wife with anyone before, but for some reason Bunny's subdued questions didn't feel intrusive, didn't feel morbidly curious. "That way there was a part of my life that was just hers and no one else's..."

Barnaby blushed and drained his own glass, ashamed of himself on behalf of the wife whom Kotetsu clearly loved. A wife. A daughter. A whole side of his partner that Barnaby hadn't dreamed existed, that Kotetsu had never made a move to reveal.

"She would've liked you, Bunny," Kotetsu brightly said, the wine softening his smile just a little around the edges, making it more real somehow, as if the mask had cracked just slightly. "Tall, blond, handsome, and wears glasses? Ha! You're just her type!"

"I find that incredibly difficult to believe," Barnaby protested, nervously taking the bottle from Kotetsu to open it himself. "Why would she marry you, Old Man, if I was to her taste?"

"Ah, well, sometimes people settle, don't they, eh?" Kotetsu mused, thinking of how wonderful Tomoe had been and how little he'd deserved her. "I'll always be glad that she settled..."

"Are you getting maudlin, Old Man?" Barnaby asked, finally getting the bottle open and pouring for them both.

"Nah," Kotetsu said, shaking his head. "The people we love never really leave us, they just wait somewhere else for awhile until we get there, don't they?"

"That's a little unsettling," Barnaby quietly said, carefully putting the bottle down. "If that's the case, then she'd probably really hate me for what's happened..."

"_Eh_? Bunny! No!" Kotetsu protested, one hand on one lean hip as he peered at the younger man's downturned face. "All of that was just an accident, that's all! Besides, she'd take one look at that handsome face of yours and forgive you, even if you are a brat."

It wasn't Kotetsu's deceased wife's forgiveness he really wanted, though, in all honesty. He fiddled with the stem of his glass, wishing he could be just be honest enough with himself to be honest with Kotetsu.

"Still, I guess it was a surprise for everyone, eh?" The Old Man chuckled, turning his glass in his long fingers.

"It certainly was," Barnaby said, shaking himself to end his train of thought. "I'd been under the impression that you were..._close_ with Fire Emblem. It was very surprising to find out that you'd been married."

"Eh? Nathan? Why?" Kotetsu asked, curious.

Barnaby chanced to look at him from the corners of his eyes and reminded him, "That night we went to save Agnes, you said something about Fire Emblem staying the night." Silently, and with an irritation he couldn't quite make sense of, Barnaby also thought of Fire Emblem hanging on Kotetsu at every opportunity. Though, admittedly, it was just Nathan's way of being friendly and if Barnaby hadn't nipped it in the bud, he'd be in the same boat as Kotetsu and Bison.

"Huh..." Kotetsu mused, straining to recall, then laughed when he actually _did_ remember. "Ah! No, we flirt like that, it's fun."

"So you've never...been with Fire Emblem?" Barnaby asked, not even sure why it was so important to him. Blushing, he said with a hint of his usual snobbery, "Never mind. It isn't my business and I don't really care. I'm sorry for asking."

"No, we've never slept together," Kotetsu answered, amiable enough. Thoughtfully, he added, "But it wasn't because of Tomoe or anything. It's not like she'd mind. We just never got around to it, I guess. Fire Emblem was just being kind to a lonely old man."

Barnaby's blush intensified. He took sudden and intense interest in the slight hum of his refrigerator, all the while replaying what Kotetsu had just said. He had stupidly assumed that having been married meant that his partner's interest was restricted to women. It had relieved him to know because it meant that Kotetsu really _had_ taken him to bed that night out of a misplaced desire to help instead of for his own perverse reasons. But it had dismayed him as well to know what Kotetsu had endured three times at his hands for his sake.

Now, though...Now...

"Say, Bunny, don't mind me," Kotetsu said, embarrassed that he'd been discussing such things with the young man he'd taken advantage of. "It's just an old man rambling. Don't listen to me, eh?"

Barnaby was saved from answering by a call from the front desk. Flustered, he said, "There's the food. Don't forget Sam's bottle."

"Ah...sure," Kotetsu said, watching Barnaby escape as quickly as his dignity would allow for. Sighing a little, he murmured, "What's wrong with you, Kotetsu, eh? Talking about things like that to Bunny. Sheesh, you never learn."

Sadly thinking that you really _couldn't_ teach an old dog new tricks, Kotetsu drained his glass and turned to pour another, even though there wasn't alcohol enough in the whole world to make him forget what he'd become.


End file.
